Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa says he did not accept the post of Prime Minister and govern the country alongside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the public demanded that the President resign.
Speaking at an event in Amabalangoda MP Premadasa said he was ready to take over the post of Prime Minister under conditions that the President resigned and the post of the Executive Presidency was abolished.
He said he was not willing to go against the wishes of the people.
MP Premadasa noted although new appointments were made, there has only been a worsening of the country’s situation.
He said queues have since increased while the public continues to languish with shortages of gas and kerosene oil.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader condemned the handling of the issue pertaining to Russia’s Aeroflot aircraft.
He noted Aeroflot decided to suspend flights to Colombo and Moscow, Russia, in protest of the detention of its aircraft until further notice.
Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa said Russia is a main source of tourism income to the country and is a major export destination of Sri Lankan tea exports.
He questioned why authorities did not intervene to resolve the issue until it escalated to a diplomatic level.
He said the government expressed its incompetency by allowing the situation to escalate.
MP Premadasa questioned if the President, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister did not understand the economic repercussions of failing to solve the issue before it reached an international stage.
