Sri Lankan parties agree to form all-party govt after President’s resignation; New Delhi says, India stands with people of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s main opposition parties have agreed to form an all-party interim government after the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday. Opposition parties held talks to seek ways to steer the country forward in the current unprecedented economic crisis after Rajapaksa’s resignation. Wimal Weerawansa of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party’s breakaway group said that this will be a government where all parties are represented.
President Rajapaksa informed Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Saturday that he will resign on Wednesday after the country’s opposition parties demanded his resignation. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also offered to resign.
The protesters who have occupied the key administration buildings since Saturday’s mass protests said they would not leave until Rajapaksa resigns.
The cash-starved island nation witnessed a tumultuous day on Saturday when protesters broke into Rajapaksa’s official residence in Colombo. Protesters did not spare Prime Minister Wickremesinghe despite his offer to resign and set on fire his private residence in an affluent neighborhood in the capital.
Meanwhile, India has extended unprecedented support of over 3.8 billion US dollars this year itself for ameliorating the serious economic situation in Sri Lanka. In response to media queries on the situation in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, India will continue to follow closely the recent developments in Sri Lanka. He said, India stands with the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values.
Mr Bagchi said, India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and the two countries share deep civilizational bonds. He said, India is aware of the many challenges that Sri Lanka and its people have been facing, and we have stood with the Sri Lankan people as they have tried to overcome this difficult period.
