Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe demands Rajapaksa's suspension

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has demanded a motion against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and asked the Parliament to suspend him for a week. Wickremesinghe accused Rajapaksa of violating the Fiscal Management Responsibility Act, in his capacity as a Finance Minister during his presidential tenure.

The Prime Minister asked for his suspension from the house yesterday, while participating in the debate on the no-confidence motion against incumbent Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake.

The motion accusing Karunanayake of misleading the public by presenting false information was introduced to the House by leader of the Joint Opposition group MP Dinesh Gunawardena.

According to a report by The Island, "The Budget has been amended beyond recognition from what was presented to parliament in November last year. Public finances come under the purview of Parliament and the Finance Minister has disregarded this," said MP Gunawardena.

However, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that it was the former President in his capacity as the Finance Minister who violated the provisions of the Fiscal Management Responsibility Act.

He also added that the Treasury was empty when the government took over. "An early election was held because the former Finance Ministry Secretary said there was no way to take the country forward as it was going bankrupt. It was P.B. Jayasundera who decided on the early election. Sumanadasa (astrologer) only fixed the date," he said.