Colombo: Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis in its history. Emergency is in force in the country. A political crisis has now erupted in Sri Lanka amidst the emergency. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday resigned. Protests have been going on in the country for a long time, with people demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. The Rajapaksa was surrounded by criticism due to the collapse of the Sri Lankan economy. Protesters are also demanding the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned
- Protesters are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
- Curfew imposed across Sri Lanka, troops deployed in Colombo
Earlier reports claimed that the president had requested the prime minister to resign. But Mahinda Rajapaksa denied this. He said no such request had been made by the President and he would not resign. According to Sri Lankan media, Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to resign after lengthy discussions between the ruling SLPP and its allies.
Appeal to people to exercise restraint
After resigning as Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa has appealed to the general public to exercise restraint. He tweeted that when emotions are running high we should remember that violence will only lead to violence. Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that the economic crisis we are in needs an economic solution.
A curfew was imposed across Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan authorities imposed a nationwide curfew on Monday. Meanwhile, army personnel have been deployed in the capital Colombo after pro-government groups attacked protesters outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office. At least 23 people were injured in the attack. A police spokesman was quoted by local media as saying that a curfew had been imposed across Sri Lanka with immediate effect until further notice.
Emergency for the second time in a month
Army teams have been deployed at the protest site to help maintain law and order. At a special cabinet meeting on Friday, President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency from midnight on Friday. This is the second time in almost a month that a state of emergency has been declared in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is going through the most severe economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis was mainly due to the shortage of foreign exchange which meant that the country was unable to pay for imports of major food items and fuels.
The post Political crisis after economic crisis: The resignation of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa appeared first on Gujaratmitra Daily Newspaper.
