'I will remain Lankan PM, naming Rajapaksa unconstitutional': Wickremesinghe
Colombo, Oct 26: The swearing in of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister is "illegal and unconstitutional", sacked premier Ranil Wickremesinghe asserted Friday.
In a dramatic turn of events, President Maithripala Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party withdrew from the ruling coalition and then sacked Wickremesinghe.
In a telephonic conversation with a TV station, Wickremesinghe said "I will continue to be the Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa's appointment is unconstitutional".
Similarly, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera tweeted that "the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister is unconstitutional and illegal. This is an anti-democratic coup".
Mahinda Amaraweera, agriculture minister and the general secretary of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), told reporters that the UPFA decision has been conveyed to Parliament.
Within minutes of the statement, Rajapaksa was invited by Sirisena to take oath as the Prime Minister.
The unity government was formed in 2015 when Sirisena was elected President with Wickremesinghe's support.
Sirisena, who was Rajapaksa's minister of health, broke away from him to contest the presidential elections.
Political analysts said Sirisena's move to install Rajapaksa as the prime minister could lead to a constitutional crisis as the 19th amendment to the Constitution would not allow the sacking of Wickremesinghe as the premier without a majority.
Rajapaksa and Sirisena combine has only 95 seats and is short of a simple majority. Wickremesinghe's UNP has 106 seats on its own with just seven short of the majority.
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By-election result not a mandate for the government: Basavaraja Bommai
Bengaluru: The results of the by-elections in three constituencies do not represent a mandate for the state government, said MP Basavaraja Bommai, adding that ruling party MLAs are dissatisfied with the lack of development in the state.
Speaking to the media at the BJP office on Tuesday, he stated that by-elections typically favor the ruling government. "When we were in power, we won 13 out of 17 by-elections. The Congress should not assume that this is a verdict in their favor," he remarked.
Bommai emphasized that these results are confined to the constituencies where the by-elections were held. He also accused the state government of poorly implementing its guarantee schemes without adequate financial preparation, claiming that the schemes are being halted due to financial strain.
He alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's government has borrowed over ₹1 lakh crore, leading to difficulties in financial management. Bommai pointed out that the state government is yet to release over ₹2,000 crore to local bodies, including village panchayats, as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.
"Anganwadi workers and contract workers are not receiving their salaries, and contractors are refusing to take up work due to non-release of funds, even after tenders have been floated," he added.
Responding to questions about internal dissent within the BJP, Bommai denied any significant issues, stating, "There is no dissent in the BJP. Everyone is committed to the party. There may be differing opinions on some matters, but I am confident that everything will be resolved within a month." He also noted that a motivated BJP team is actively working for the party.
