Insight on Viral Video of SJB MP S.M. Marikkar Joining President Ranil Wickremesinghe

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As the presidential election in Sri Lanka approaches, there has been an increasing trend of old content going viral, implying current incidents. These campaigns aim to undermine the party's credibility and influence voter perception through misleading content.

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A viral video on social media claims that S.M. Marikkar, a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party, has joined forces with President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

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Fact-Check:

This claim is misleading. The video in question is over two months old and was captured at a funeral house in Piliyandala. In the video, S.M. Marikkar interacts with President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

ITN News reported on the funeral on 15th June 2024.

The below capture from the video shows the same background as that new footage without Marikkar's appearance.

The video captures Marikkar asking the president to sign a duty-free vehicle permit. The discussion continues about what has happened to duty-free permits entitled to MPs of JVP and NPP.

Since this incident happened over a couple of months ago, and since MP Marikkar has been an active advocate of the SJB presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa, as seen in his rallies, we contacted S.M. Marikkar's media unit regarding this incident. They confirmed that the incident happened in June 2024 at a funeral house, that the discussion had no political implications, that there has been no shift in MP Marikkar's political allegiance, and that the video is being misrepresented on social media as a current incident.

The SJB media unit also denied the rumours that Marikkar was joining Ranil.

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Conclusion:

The viral social media claim that SJB MP S.M. Marikkar has joined President Ranil Wickremesinghe is misleading. The old video relates to an administrative request, and MP Marikkar is seen actively advocating for the SJB presidential candidate. The MP and SJB have denied any intentions of joining hands with the president. Social media users should be cautious of such misleading content.