In a blow to Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa govt, 3 MPs withdraw support
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is under pressure to resign, was dealt a further blow on Wednesday when three more parliamentarians withdrew their support to the government.
Earlier this month, 39 lawmakers out of 156 MPs pulled their support to Rajapaksa in the 225-member Parliament. The breakaway group, which sits independently, has declared not to align with any other coalition, including the Opposition.
The independent group demands the formation of an all-party interim government with the resignation of the Rajapaksa family from power.
Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) MP Faizal Cassim informed Parliament that he along with MPs Ishak Rahuman and M S Thowfeek will withdraw their support to the government.
The three MPs were part of the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) coalition, including from the SLMC. They had been Rajapaksa's allies since 2020 and voted for the controversial 20A which conferred absolute power on the President.
A heated exchange erupted on Wednesday morning when Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana denied a claim by main Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa that the Speaker told the party leaders that Rajapaksa was ready to resign if all party leaders requested him to do so.
Abeywardana, a member of the ruling coalition, said it was a misinterpretation by Premadasa.
However, the main Opposition leader stood by his statement calling Abeywardana a liar.
An extended public protest, which began near Rajapaksa's secretariat on April 9 demanding Rajapaksa's resignation, entered on its 12th day.
Sri Lanka is grappling with unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
The island nation is witnessing large-scale protests against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy - the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history.
Protests demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government have intensified as shortages continued and prices soared.
Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.
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PM Modi to attend NDA convention, roadshow in Kochi
Kochi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Kerala on Wednesday and take part in a series of programmes here, including the inauguration of the BJP-led NDA's election convention.
The prime minister will land at Cochin International Airport at 11.30 am. He will then travel to the naval base before heading by road to Marine Drive for his first event--the golden jubilee celebrations of the Dheevara Sabha.
Later, he will take part in a roadshow beginning from the entrance of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at around noon.
At 12.30 pm, the prime minister will participate in an official programme of the central government where he will inaugurate and dedicate to the nation several key development projects.
Around 1 pm, Modi will inaugurate the NDA's Kerala election rally at the stadium.
The convention will mark the formal launch of the alliance's campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
Organisers say around 50,000 party workers are expected to attend the event.
Leaders and workers from several NDA partners, including Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and Twenty20, will also take part.
After completing the programmes in Kochi, Modi will leave for Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu at around 2.30 pm.
