Lankan PM's Son Resigns As Minister Amid Economic Crisis

Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs and son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has resigned from all his portfolios.

"I have informed the sec. to the President of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect, in hope that it may assist HE & PMs decision to establish stability for the people & the govt of #LKA. I remain committed to my voters, my party & the people of #Hambanthota," Namal Rajapaksa said in a tweet.

I have informed the sec. to the President of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect, in hope that it may assist HE & PMs decision to establish stability for the people & the govt of #LKA. I remain committed to my voters, my party & the people of #Hambanthota.

— Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) April 3, 2022

This comes hours after Sri Lankan Prime Minister's Office on Sunday refuted the reports of the resignation of PM Rajapaksa and termed them "false" adding that there are no such plans at present.

Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a food, fuel, power, and gas shortage and has sought economic assistance from friendly countries.

The island nation's currency has also been devalued by almost SLR 90 against the US dollar since March 8 and it is witnessing long hours of power cuts.

The streets of Colombo wore a deserted look on Sunday, as a curfew was imposed on the city on top of a 36-hour nationwide curfew already in force after protests outside the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Protests staged by the public were reported from small streets, apartment complexes, and multiple areas around the country.

Namal Rajapaksa had earlier criticised the government's decision to impose an internet blockade.

"I will never condone the blocking of social media. The availability of VPN, just like I'm using now, makes such bans completely useless. I urge the authorities to think more progressively and reconsider this decision," he had tweeted.