Current affairs

The fall of Rajapaksas...Gotabaya on the run as a sea of protesters sinks the Presidential palace!

By alagu, 09 July, 2022
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka

The tiny island nation of Sri Lanka has in recent times become a major hotspot for economic and political crises as the country has been witnessing an unprecedented scale of agitations and all these protests have been connected to a single motive - the Sri Lankans want the end of being reigned by the Rajapaksa clan. The members of the clan are being ousted from their respective posts and finally, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled as a sea of protesters has sunk the Presidential Palace.  

With Gotabaya's exit, the Rajapaksa clan has endured a big blow with several political experts predicting that it is the fall of Rajapaksas and the end of their rule. The most influential political family in Sri Lanka has now been pushed to seek a haven to escape the public outcry and anger against them. Since the beginning of this year, Sri Lanka, which is one of the most visited countries in the world, turned into a hotbed as lakhs of people across the country have been demanding the Rajapaksas step down in the wake of the worst economic crisis. 

The protesters have camped outside the Presidential Palace in Colombo and urged the Rajapaksas to resign. The protests were intense that several properties that belong to the members of the ruling party were burnt and days after the unrest, the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned following which former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the new Prime Minister though protests escalate against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

The Presidential palace was under complete surveillance and it was guarded by thousands of security officials as the protesters could enter the palace. They had now finally entered the palace and sieged the premises. The visuals from Colombo had shown that lakhs of people have gathered before the palace and they entered it to hail the fall of Rajapaksas. The huge protests around the presidential palace have come after the curfew was lifted and the protesters demanded the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

According to reports, Gotabaya has made a move to flee the country and he has planned to leave Sri Lanka along with his family members through an aircraft. The police had dispersed the protesters using tear gas shells and batons. At least 30 people including two police officers were injured and they were admitted to the National Hospital in Colombo. Following the development, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called an emergency meeting of all political parties. 

Along with the protesters, around 16 MPs have also urged Gotabaya to resign from the post of President. Reuters quoted the sources from the defence ministry saying that President Gotabaya was removed from the official residence on Friday. In a viral video, a Sri Lankan MP Rajitha Senaratne was attacked by protesters as agitation erupted on the streets amid the ongoing economic crisis. Interestingly, Sri Lanka's cricket icon Sanath Jayasuriya has backed the protests and said, “I am a part of the protest and stand with people’s demand…this protest has been going on for over three months." 

 

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