COLOMBO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government on Sunday raised concerns of what it called an international conspiracy to divide the country by getting political parties to support the opposition at next month's Presidential election.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said that a decision by Sri Lanka's main Muslim political party to withdraw from the government and back the opposition could be seen as part of that conspiracy.

The UPFA said that the country's main Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) withdrew its support for President Rajapaksa as the president had refused to agree to a demand for a separate Muslim administrative district in the east of the country.

UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said that discussions with the SLMC had gone well but the government had refused to agree to the demand for a separate Muslim administrative district which the SLMC had wanted approved by Cabinet.

"The UPFA Government cannot agree to create a separate administrative district based on ethnicity. That goes against the government policy," he said.

Premajayantha said that Sri Lanka's main minority Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is also expected to support opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena directly or indirectly as part of the alleged international conspiracy to divide the country.

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem had announced on Sunday that he will be resigning as Justice Minister of the UPFA government in order to back the opposition at the polls.

This was the second major Muslim political party to withdraw from the government within two weeks and extend support to the opposition.

Last week former Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen and his political party announced they had also decided to support Maithripala Sirisena.