Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa accuses the government of surrendering national policy to the IMF, calling Budget 2026 a heartless document that abandons farmers, workers, SMEs and the poor.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has launched a sharp attack on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Budget 2026, claiming it is not a Sri Lankan budget but one dictated entirely by the International Monetary Fund. Speaking to the media, Premadasa said the government has allowed the IMF to write the country’s economic script and has merely presented it to Parliament as national policy. He argued that the budget confirms the administration’s failure to deliver on its promises, especially those made during the election campaign, and has exposed its inability to alleviate poverty, revive the real economy or protect struggling citizens.
Premadasa said the budget offers no concrete relief for farmers battling rising costs, fisherfolk facing income collapse, or unemployed graduates waiting for opportunities. He accused the government of abandoning the small and medium enterprises sector, which plays a vital role in GDP contribution, job creation and local innovation. According to him, Budget 2026 proves that the government has no genuine plan to uplift people, only a plan to satisfy foreign creditors. He described the document as a continuation of deception, designed to create the illusion of reform while ignoring the growing hardship across the country. The Opposition Leader said the ruling administration has become insensitive and disconnected from the real economic suffering of ordinary citizens.
Premadasa claimed the budget exposes a dangerous pattern of dependency, where economic policy is shaped by international lenders rather than democratic accountability. He insisted that the people were promised transformation, but instead received a budget that protects numbers, not lives, calling it a national betrayal disguised as fiscal discipline.
