Guwahati: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed to retire after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa asked him to do so in the face of the island nation’s increasing economic crisis and the implementation of a state of emergency.
According to national media reports, Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed to quit as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka at a special cabinet meeting at the President’s House led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The Sri Lankan Cabinet has been notified that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has asked to resign due to his failure to deal with the country’s ongoing economic crisis. His departure will also result in the dissolution of the Cabinet. According to the article, Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared that if the only answer to Sri Lanka’s continuing economic problem is for him to retire, he is willing to do so.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has admitted that managing the country’s economic and political problems has become a significant problem amid widespread public protests. He further added that the issue had caused a lack of tourists in the country. Furthermore, factory closures added to the strain of already existing economic problems.
Reportedly, Sri Lankan Cabinet ministers Prasanna Ranatunga, Nalaka Godahewa, and Ramesh Pathirana have all agreed on Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to step down as Prime Minister. Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake, in contrast to the Cabinet ministers, has declared that Mahinda’s resignation will be fruitless in dealing with the country’s crisis.
Reports further claimed that the political insiders also indicate that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will announce his resignation in a special announcement on Monday, followed by a cabinet change the following week.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is experiencing severe food and power shortages, requiring it to seek assistance from its neighbours. Foreign exchange problems caused by a tourism ban during the COVID-19 pandemic are blamed for the slump. The country is unable to purchase sufficient fuel and gas, and its citizens are deprived of basic necessities.