UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena has requested that the post of the Leader of Opposition in parliament to be given to the Joint Opposition Group. He stated that for the last one they had been requesting for the post but the government had neglected them since they do not want to offer the post to the Joint Opposition. The Joint Opposition Group has been functioning as an independent opposition faction in parliament, which opposes the government, he added. TNA Leader MP Sampanthan, whose party won 16 seats at the August election, was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the new Parliament, while the JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, whose party won six seats, was appointed Chief Opposition Whip, he added. He said though the Joint Opposition has got 51 MPs they should be given the post as they have the majority of seats in parliament.
