Amidst the terrible economic crisis in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a public emergency from 1 April 2022. The President has also issued an extraordinary gazette for this. Sri Lanka is facing a terrible economic crisis. The life of the common people has become miserable.
Protesters also gathered in front of his residence on Thursday demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka. On which the police fired tear gas shells and water cannons. Shortage of foreign exchange in Sri Lanka has led to shortage of essential commodities like fuel. There has also been a shortage of LPG and power cuts are being done for 13 hours a day.
President Rajapaksa’s elder brother Mahinda is serving as the prime minister while the youngest brother Tulsi holds the finance portfolio. The eldest brother Chamal is the agriculture minister while nephew Namal holds the cabinet post for sports. The protesters raised slogans against the Rajapaksa government. Those involved in the protest said that the foreign exchange crisis has become more serious due to the mismanagement of the government.
Sri Lanka, an island country with a population of 20 million, is in the grip of the worst recession since independence. There has been a shortage of foreign exchange even to pay for the import of the most essential commodities. The situation is so bad that on Thursday, diesel, the main fuel for buses and commercial vehicles, was not available anywhere across the country.