Sri Lanka: Citizens protest outside President Gotabaya's house; chant 'No more Rajapaksas'

Amid the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka, citizens of the country are demanding the immediate resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The island nation, witnessing its worst-ever financial crisis, has been rocked with anti-government protests for quite some time now.  

In a recent turn of events, protests were witnessed outside the Sri Lankan President's residence. The demonstrations aggravated after President Rajapaksa declared the protesters as extremists and ordered their arrest. 

'No more Rajapaksas', protestors chant outside President Gotabaya's residence

People from all walks of life, including students, farmers and members of the judiciary participated in the protests, raising slogans like "No more Rajapaksas", ANI reported. 

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government in an attempt to curb the unrest had previously suspended internet services. The move further infuriated protesters as they blamed the regime for suppressing their democratic rights.

In the face of massive protests, some members of the Rajapaksa family and their financiers have reportedly fled the country. The protesting citizens have demanded Gotabaya to step down as the President and called for fresh elections. 

Gotabya appoints new Cabinet of 17 ministers

On Monday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a new Cabinet consisting of 17 ministers, ANI reported, citing NewsWire. As per the report, the new Cabinet Ministers were sworn in before the President at the President’s House.

Last week, President Rajapaksa had also invited independent ministers of parliament (MPs) to discuss the economic catastrophe, which has been termed the worst since the country's independence in 1948. The meeting was called on after irate Sri Lankans took to the streets demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa. 

Sri Lanka's Economic crisis

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sri Lankan government is battling to meet basic requirements for its 22 million citizens amid an unprecedented economic crisis caused by mishandling of finances and ill-timed tax cuts. The crisis was exacerbated further after Cabinet ministers resigned, on April 3, with immediate effect.

The island nation is also currently facing a foreign exchange deficit, which has resulted in food, fuel, power, and gas shortages, and has sought economic assistance from friendly countries.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP/PTI)