Repeated attempts made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contact Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva over the phone had ended up being futile.
It has now quite apparent that the newly appointed Opposition Leader is deliberately avoiding telephone calls from the former President. At the same time, it is not entirely clear as to why the former President, who has now given up all his 'decision-making' titles in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, wants to contact the Leader of the Opposition who is technically the leader of the UPFA Parliamentary group. It is no secret that de Silva has hopes of becoming the next Prime Minister of the country. Although President Maithripala Siripala Sirisena has already stated that there will be a national government at least for two years, de Silva, according to sources close to him, believes that he stands a strong chance of becoming the PM after the first two years. Therefore, MR's re-entry into active politics will put a damper on the Opposition Leader's future plans.
De Silva, in his role as the Opposition Leader, has so far carried himself in a balanced manner, without pandering to the sentiments of those who are feverishly trying to being the former President back to Parliament.
