Amid the upheaval created due to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, there are some reports circulating claiming that the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned.
However, Sri Lanka Prime Minister's Office put to rest the news by informing that there is no such plan at present.
"Reports that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned are false, no such plan at present," news agency ANI reported.
The rumors of Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation come as protests continued in the island country despite the imposition of an Emergency as well as a 36-hour long-curfew.
President Rajapaksa issued a special gazette notification late on Friday night, declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka with immediate effect from April 1. In the gazette, the President states, “Whereas I am of opinion that by reason of a public emergency in Sri Lanka it is expedient to do so in the interests of public security the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community”.
Thereafter, on Saturday, the Rajapaksa-led Sri Lankan government imposed a 36-hour curfew on Saturday. The curfew, as per the government order, will be in place across the island country starting from 6 PM on Saturday to 6 am on Monday.
Earlier on Sunday, lawmakers from Sri Lanka’s principal opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) staged an anti-government protest against President Rajapaksa’s move to impose restrictions amidst the worst economic crisis on the island nation. Opposition lawmakers marched towards the city’s main square, chanting slogans and carrying placards that read: “Stop Suppression” and “Gota go home.”
Police officials set up barricades leading up to Independence Square, which was built to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948. Additionally, the Sri Lankan police Sunday have arrested 664 persons in the country’s Western Province for violating the curfew, the Colombo Page newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, the mainline media reported on Sunday that the wife and eight other family members of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Namal Rajapaksa had left the country for an undisclosed country, the media reported.
