Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious in the no-confidence motion tabled against him on Wednesday. Rajapaksa, while speaking to Sri Lankan news agency Daily Mirror, said that he held the majority support in Sri Lankan parliament.
Earlier on Tuesday, the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), met Sri Lankan assembly speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and handed him the no-confidence motion against prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Rajapaksa also said that the no-confidence motion will not hinder his efforts to resolve the ongoing economic crisis which protesters and Sri Lankans claim have been caused due to economic mismanagement under the rule of the Rajapaksas. He said that his solutions appeal to the majority of the MPs who have assured him of their support.
“I am very confident of winning the NCM. I have the numbers with me in Parliament. If I lose the numbers, I will step down,” Rajapaksa was quoted as saying by news agency Daily Mirror. He also refuted reports of him stepping down and said that he will not tender resignation. On Tuesday, some reports surfaced that Mahinda lost the majority support and was due to resign after releasing a special statement.
Rajapaksa said that he will issue a statement but it will not be regarding his resignation and would focus on current issues plaguing the island nation. He, however, said that he is ready to quit his post if president Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested him to leave but outlined that no such request has been made.
The opposition SJB headed by Sajith Premadasa handed over two no-confidence motions to the Speaker on Tuesday and said that the opposition wants to form a new government.
People familiar with the developments told Daily Mirror that the no-confidence motion against the president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be tabled in the parliament first and the opposition is presently gathering support to ensure that it passes.
Relief Package Provided To Families
Sri Lanka trade minister Shehan Semasinghe told news agencies that relief in cash will be provided to about 3.34 million people belonging to low income families. Under a scheme named Samurdhi, beneficiaries who come under the ambit of this scheme will be able to draw LKR 7,500 with an additional LKR 3,000 for the next three months. Similar relief packages have been announced for people with disability. The government will be funding these packages through a World Bank financial assistance programme to the tune of LKR 13,364 million for the next three months.
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