Sri Lanka Crisis: Opposition SJB Refuses President Rajapaksa’s Proposal For Sajith Premadasa-Led Interim Govt

The decision comes after Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation is likely to be announced soon as per recent reports. 

New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s main opposition SJB said on Sunday that it has rejected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s offer to its leader Sajith Premadasa to head an interim government amid the ongoing political uncertainty and the economic crisis, news agency PTI reported. The decision comes after Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation is likely to be announced soon as per recent reports. 

“Our leader refused to accept the president’s offer," Tissa Attanayake, the national organiser for Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) told reporters.

As per reports, President had called over the telephone both Premadasa and Harsha de Silva, the SJB economic guru, on the prospect of forming an interim government which was demanded by the powerful Buddhist clergy as well as the group which had broken away from the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) coalition, PTI reported. 

The SJB had announced on Saturday that they would back the proposal from the lawyers’ body BASL which advocated the setting up of an interim government for a period of 18 months with a move to abolish the presidential system of governance. They also called for the repealing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution which conferred unfettered powers to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2020.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) demands the restoration of the 19th Amendment which had empowered Parliament over the President. 

SJB leader Harin Fernando said that the party is supposed to have a discussion with the BASL on the proposal. 

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Maithripala Sirisena also met Premadasa on Saturday to ask the SJB to take over the interim government. 

Premadasa has already announced that he would not be a part of any government headed by the two Rajapaksa brothers- Gotabaya and Mahinda.

The discussions of forming an interim government come amid pressure on the current government due to the worst-ever political crisis in the country. On Friday, the President declared an emergency in the country amid the aggravating protests by the people as the island nation goes through an acute shortage of necessities.