India
oi-Prakash KL
Colombo, Apr 11: Amid massive protests calling for his resignation over the unprecedented economic crisis, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is set to address the nation on Monday evening, according to a media report.
As per the report, Mahinda Rajapaksa will issue a special statement. It comes at a time when the nation is rocked by massive anti-government protests over weeks of lengthy power outages and shortage of gas, food and other essentials, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
The anti-government protests, which started on Saturday, continued to its third day on Monday.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, continue to hold power in Sri Lanka, despite their politically powerful family being the focus of public ire. The President has defended his government’s actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven with the island nation’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waning.
On the other hand, the talks between President Gotabaya Rajapaka and the group of independent MPs from his own ruling SLPP coalition over establishing an all-party interim government also remained inconclusive.
The gathering calling for the Rajapaksa family’s resignation has continued their all night vigil.
Last week, the entire Sri Lankan cabinet resigned apart from Mahinda Rajapaksa at a time when the country was facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948. PTI
Story first published: Monday, April 11, 2022, 18:01 [IST]
