Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa resigns amid country’s economic turmoil

New Delhi: Amid ongoing economic crisis, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns from the post.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who himself is facing calls to quit, had last week asked his brother and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to step down from the PM’s post to pave the way for an all-party government to resolve the ongoing political crisis.

However, Mahinda Rajapaksa had been adamant that only he could head any government.

Facing the worst economic crisis since independence, Sri Lankans have been facing shortages of many essential items, including food, medicine, fuel cooking gas, as well as hours-long power cuts.

Earlier in the day, a tense situation prevailed in Colombo after clashes broke out between pro-Rajapaksa and anti-government protesters, which caused the injuries to nine people.

An indefinite curfew has been declared in parts of Colombo in the wake of the violence.