(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan parliamentary sessions were abruptly adjourned on Tuesday morning after a tense situation arose while Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa was addressing the chamber.
Premadasa was speaking on the recent court ruling that blamed the former Rajapakse political family for the country’s present economic woes that has placed a heavy burden on the masses.
The uproar from the Government benches erupted after Premadasa sought to know the action that the Government was intending to take following the court ruling.
So much so that a group of Government MPs approached Premadasa in a threatening manner forcing Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to call off sittings briefly.
In his address, Premadasa said that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, former Central Bank governors Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Prof. W.D. Lakshman, former Finance Secretary S.R. Attygalle, former Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundara and the Central Bank’s Monetary Board members continue to enjoy their privileges despite the Supreme Court’s Nov.14 judgement having held them accountable for the economic crisis.
These individuals have no respect for the Supreme Court’s judgement, Premadasa said adding that all Sri Lankan citizens continue to pay for the incorrect decisions made by them, Premadasa said.
The Opposition leader emphasized that the Government cannot be lenient toward these individuals as the entire country is on alert as to what action would be taken against them.
As Premadasa raised questions about the government’s stance on the matter, the legal measures which it intends to implement against them and if the Government would recover the losses incurred by the State due to those mentioned in the court’s judgement, the ruling party MPs interrupted the address and later approached the opposition leader’s seat.
