Quitting? Sri Lanka PM Mahinda Rajapaksa may resign on Monday

Colombo: Sri Lanka's beleaguered Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to offer his resignation on Monday, as per news agency reports quoting political sources.

Pressure has been piling on the embattled government led by his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit office and pave way to an interim administration at the face of the country's worse economic crisis marked by shortages and people's suffering.

Rajapaksa, 76, has also been facing pressure from within his own Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) ranks to resign, but the prime minister has been busy mobilsing his supporters to apply counterpressure not to stand down.

His younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, though wanting his resignation had not directly conveyed his wish. The President wants his resignation enabling him to go for a government of national unity, an interim arrangement till the present economic crisis could be dealt with, sources said.

"He may not offer direct resignation," Dayasiri Jayasekera, a ruling coalition dissident told PTI.

"What I feel is he would say I have no responsibility for the present crisis, so no reasons for me to resign," Jayasekera said, adding that he would put the ball on Gotabaya Rajapaksa's court as if to say sack me if you want.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Rajapaksa clan strongman, faced public wrath on Sunday in the sacred city of Anuradhapura. He was hooted and catcalled by the angry public who are on the streets demanding fuel, cooking gas and an end to power cuts.

The protesters demanded that the entire Rajapaksa family quit politics and return assets of the country which they allege the clan has stolen.

The powerful Buddhist Clergy too had endorsed the demand for the resignation of the prime minister and the Cabinet to pave the way for an interim government.

On Sunday, Sri Lanka's main Opposition SJB said that it has rejected an offer by embattled President Gotabaya to its leader Sajith Premadasa to head an interim government, amid continued political uncertainty in the country which is now under a state of emergency.

However, Jayasekera said the dissident group's 11 party alliance would hold further talks on Monday on ways to end the crisis. He was hopeful of the interim government formation should Mahinda Rajapaksa resign.

The public protests gain momentum every day as petrol and gas queues get longer. There is also a looming prospect of the current duration of power cuts being made longer.

On Sunday, extensive talks were held in the initiative by the lawyers' body, Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). They advocate a unity government limited to a cabinet of 15 members for a period of 18 months during which a plethora of constitutional reforms is to take place.

In a special Cabinet meeting on Friday, President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight. This is the second emergency declared in just over a month.

The economic crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, deprived the government of the means to pay for essential goods from abroad, which lead to acute shortage and high prices. for items of food and medicines.

(Based on PTI feed with minor edits)