Sri Lanka MPs spray chili powder, hurl chairs inside Parliament

Sri Lankan Parliament continued to remain disrupted for the second day on Friday, with legislators supporting the disputed prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, hurling chairs at police officers and throwing chilli powder at the leaders of opposing parties.

"They (MPs of Sirisena - Rajapaksa faction) have assaulted me by using a copy of the constitution, and they have used chilli power mixed water to attack the MPs," Sri Lanka Guardian quoted Member of Parliament, Vijitha Herath, as saying.

The island nation has been reeling from a political turmoil since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister and replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapakse.

Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a legislator from Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), was quoted by several media outlets as claiming that during the melee in the parliament on Friday, chilli mixed in water was thrown at his face, requiring him to rush for a medical treatment.

The UNP tweeted in the afternoon, "United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MPs attacked the police who were forced to escort the Hon. Speaker into the chambers today."

"This behaviour is just a taste of what we will be forced to endure if they are allowed to take power," they added.

On Thursday, the Parliament witnessed a ruckus as members pulled punches, hurled objects at each and even tried to attack Speaker Jayasuriya.

Speaker Jayasuriya said that Sri Lanka as of now does not have a Prime Minister or a Cabinet.

The Parliament was reconvened in Colombo on Wednesday when UNP lawmakers approved a motion of no-confidence in Rajapaksa's "purported" cabinet.

They even passed motions declaring President Sirisena's moves illegal.

Sirisena on Thursday asked the Parliament to amend and re-submit the no-confidence motion. Rajapaksa called for snap polls, which the MPs opposed and moved a resolution against.

The parliament is now expected to reconvene on Monday.