Today’s Cabinet meeting unlikely: President-PM meeting postponed!

The Cabinet meeting scheduled for today is unlikely to take place, according g to Presidential Secretariat sources.

This is due to the meeting scheduled to take place between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last night to discuss about the holding of the Cabinet meeting and several other matters, being postponed indefinitely. 
It is reported that as the President is the head of the Cabinet, holding a Cabinet meeting without him is not legal.

The President had convened an emergency Cabinet meeting on June 08th and at that meeting he had severely criticised the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to investigate the April 21st Easter Sunday attacks. The President had said that if this select committee continues with their investigations targeting him, he would not attend the Cabinet meetings.

The media reported recently that the President is of the view that the Prime Minister is planning to palm the blame of the security lapse which led to the Easter Sunday terror attacks on him.
It is said that the President had telephoned the Prime Minister and scolded him regarding this issue, which has resulted in the two of them not speaking to each other.

However, it is reported that Minister Malik Samarawickrama and several others are trying to mend the dispute between the two leaders and is currently engaged in discussions with both leaders.