POLITICAL crisis in the South Asian island nation Sri Lanka is taking a worse turn. Three top Sri Lankan leaders have recently held talks for the first time since the crisis erupted on October 26. But their meeting failed to reach a breakthrough. Responding to President Maithripala Sirisena call, two rival Prime Ministers Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe met on Sunday for more than two hours at the President’s office in the capital Colombo but did not agree to shift from their previous positions.
Earlier, the parliamentary votes on a no-confidence motion against PM Rajapaksa descended into chaos, with angry politicians hurling chilli paste, chairs and books at legislators backing Mr Wickremesinghe. Mr Sirisena said he would only accept a no-confidence motion if a vote was “taken by name of members or by electronic voting”.
At present, there is no stable government in charge in Sri Lanka. The new government of PM Rajapaksa has faced two no-confidence motions but has refused to resign. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Tuesday warned that if the current state of affairs continues, there could be serious consequences that will go against interest of the country.
Addressing a press conference after briefing diplomats of various missions in Colombo, TNA leader R. Sampanthan said the victims of possible turbulence and lawlessness could be minorities, particularly Tamils. TNA, having 14 MPs in parliament, has supported the motion in parliament and has termed the new government as illegal and unconstitutional.
It is true that, the minority communities particularly Muslims and Tamils, are passing their days in utmost anxieties fearing return of Rajapaksa to the power. More than one lakh Tamil people were killed and thousands were driven out from their ancestral land during an anti-Tamil guerilla drive conducted by him in 2009. After that, the Singhalese (Buddhists) attacked mosques and other establishments of the Muslim community too.
Mr Rajapaksa, who is very popular among the Singhalese, wants to give them a message that, if he again becomes PM the supremacy of Tamil and Muslim communities would be curtailed. In this critical situation, the Sri Lankan leaders will have to handle the crisis very delicately. Otherwise, the democracy in the island country will be in danger again.
Earlier, the parliamentary votes on a no-confidence motion against PM Rajapaksa descended into chaos, with angry politicians hurling chilli paste, chairs and books at legislators backing Mr Wickremesinghe. Mr Sirisena said he would only accept a no-confidence motion if a vote was “taken by name of members or by electronic voting”.
At present, there is no stable government in charge in Sri Lanka. The new government of PM Rajapaksa has faced two no-confidence motions but has refused to resign. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Tuesday warned that if the current state of affairs continues, there could be serious consequences that will go against interest of the country.
Addressing a press conference after briefing diplomats of various missions in Colombo, TNA leader R. Sampanthan said the victims of possible turbulence and lawlessness could be minorities, particularly Tamils. TNA, having 14 MPs in parliament, has supported the motion in parliament and has termed the new government as illegal and unconstitutional.
It is true that, the minority communities particularly Muslims and Tamils, are passing their days in utmost anxieties fearing return of Rajapaksa to the power. More than one lakh Tamil people were killed and thousands were driven out from their ancestral land during an anti-Tamil guerilla drive conducted by him in 2009. After that, the Singhalese (Buddhists) attacked mosques and other establishments of the Muslim community too.
Mr Rajapaksa, who is very popular among the Singhalese, wants to give them a message that, if he again becomes PM the supremacy of Tamil and Muslim communities would be curtailed. In this critical situation, the Sri Lankan leaders will have to handle the crisis very delicately. Otherwise, the democracy in the island country will be in danger again.
