Colombo, Nov 11: Sri Lanka's ruling party MPs have been offered up to four million dollars in cash and foreign scholarships to defect to the President's party, a government minister said today. Seven MPs from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) had been approached by President Chandrika Kumaratunga's loyalists with the cash offer to cross the floor of Parliament, Agriculture Minister S B Dissanayake told reporters.

There was no immediate reaction from the President's office to the government allegation, but horse trading is not uncommon in Sri Lanka's divisive politics.

However, an anti-defection law makes sure that any MP who switches sides can be expelled by their party and lose their seat. Some legislators were offered amounts ranging from 530,000 to 630,000 dollars together with promises of foreign educational scholarships for their children, Dissanayake said.

He said Wickremesinghe has instructed the legislators to complain that they were offered bribes and press for criminal prosecution against those responsible.

Wickremesinghe's party has the support of 130 legislators in the 225-member assembly where Kumaratunga's party is the main opposition. She was elected as president at a separate vote in December 1999.

Sri Lanka was plunged in a political crisis after the President sacked three ministers and suspended Parliament for two weeks after briefly imposing a state of emergency. Bureau Report