Sri Lanka: Gotabaya Rajapaksa agrees to remove brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM

 

Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to remove his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister amidst the country's worst economic crisis in decades. While Gotabaya has agreed to remove his brother from the prime ministership of the island nation, Prime Minister Rajapaksa had also stressed last week that there is no need for him to resign or allow the formation of an interim government of which he was not a part.

He also dismissed the reports of a rift between him and the President in an interview to the Daily Mirror.

He said, "This is all false. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the President. So, I must always respect him as the President. He maybe my younger brother, but that is a different matter. That is a personal relationship. But he is the President and I respect him for that."

During this conversation, he also claimed that people will vote for him in the next elections as they know “who I am and what I am.”  He said, “I have that confidence. See, those masses are not protesting against me. Just because certain sections are calling on me to go, does not mean those hundreds of thousands who voted for us, want us to go. These protestors alone do not represent the entire population, although their views are also respected.”

The dissatisfaction with Mahinda Rajapaksa is not fresh news in Sri Lanka as leaders across party lines have repeatedly emphasised that they will participate if the all-party meeting will be held without the presence of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Cabinet.

A delegation of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), one of the ruling Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) constituent parties, also briefed Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay on the current political situation in the country and plans for an interim government arrangement to address the worst economic slowdown on Thursday.

This meeting took place on the eve of the all-party meeting hosted by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to discuss the formation of an all-party government to address the economic crisis.

(With agency inputs)

Also read: Workers strike to pressure Sri Lankan government to resign

Also read: Sri Lanka ruling party dissidents brief Indian High Commissioner on political impasse