Calling India a “big brother”, former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya lauded the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending help to the island nation. He said, “You are our evergreen neighbor as always, the elder brothers of our country are helping us… We are very grateful to the Government of India and the Prime Minister (Modi). So, it is not very easy for us to survive. Well, things are going on… I hope things will change and with the help of India and other countries and we are trying to come out of this situation.”
Former veteran cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya thanked PM Modi for helping India. He said, “India as our country’s neighbor and elder brother has always helped us. We are grateful to the Government of India and PM Modi. For us, it is not easy to survive in the current scenario. We are proud of India and other countries. Hoping to get out of this with help.”
India has supplied more than 270,000 metric tonnes of fuel to Sri Lanka so far to help ease the power crisis in the island country, which is facing acute power cuts. Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel shortages affecting a large number of people in the island nation. The economy has taken a major hit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya has extended his support to the people amid the ongoing nationwide protests in Sri Lanka over the serious economic crisis. A large number of Sri Lankans are raising their voice against the government. In a special conversation with ANI, Jayasuriya described the situation in the country as ‘unfortunate’ and said that the people of this country have been going through this for a few months and it has come to a breakpoint.
He said, “People can’t survive like this. That’s why people started protesting because there is shortage of fuel, there is shortage of gas, and sometimes there is no electricity for 10-12 hours. It is difficult for the people of this country so people have started coming out and protesting.”
The former cricketer cautioned that “it will be a disaster” if the situation is not addressed properly. Jayasuriya said that he feels pain when his own people oppose his own government. He told ANI, “I want to say protest peacefully, don’t turn violent. This is a protest of real people who have come out and are telling the government that they are suffering.”
The people of the island nation, including Sanath Jayasuriya, are blaming the current government for the economic crisis. He said, “At the moment, the responsibility rests with the present government. The people of Sri Lanka had a lot of faith and belief in the government. The last three to four months have not been the best time for what the present government has done. Unfortunately, People are blaming the present government for all this.”
Jayasuriya himself has seen the deteriorating condition of the country with his own eyes. He said that the people of Sri Lanka are facing trouble in getting essential commodities for daily use.
Responding to a question about the ongoing struggle of the people over the economic crisis, he said, “We don’t want to see these things happen. Cars of 3-4 kms are queuing for diesel, gas and milk powder…it is really sad and people are hurt at this point of time.”
“So that’s why people came out for their rights… That’s why I said earlier that if the situation is not addressed properly, there will be disaster,” he said.
The Sri Lankan rupee is falling sharply against the dollar and foreign debt is increasing. The Sri Lankan government’s income has also fallen sharply due to the decline in tourism, which has led to gas and fuel shortages, leading to massive power cuts.