Amid the Sri Lankan crisis, Trinamool Congress MLA from West Bengal Idris Ali on Sunday made a controversial remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the latter will meet the same fate that of his Sri Lankan counterpart.
"Whatever happened with the President of Sri Lanka, will happen with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. Looking at the things in India, I say that Prime Minister Modi is a total failure. It will be even worse here. Prime Minister Modi will also resign and flee," TMC MLA Idris Ali told ANI.
Reacting to Ali's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Priyanka Tibrewal said the TMC does not have respect for Constitution and federalism.
"I believe it is not required to comment on the statements of the illetrate people. TMC MPs and MLAs have crossed all the limits. We have seen how Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is silent after the remarks of MP Mahua Moitra on Goddess Kali that hurt the sentiments of Hindus. It suggests that Chief Minister's consent is there in these things. Such remarks about Prime Minister show the mentality of these people. It means they do not have regard for Constitution and federalism," Tibrewal told ANI.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that India stands with the people of Sri Lanka as they seek prosperity and progress through democratic means and constitutional framework and continue to follow the development in the island country.
In pursuance of the central place that Sri Lanka occupies in our Neighbourhood First policy, India has extended this year unprecedented support of over USD 3.8 billion for ameliorating the serious economic situation in Sri Lanka, added the External Affairs Ministry.
Earlier on Saturday, protesters stormed into Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official home and later broke into Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence and set it on fire.
Both President Rajapaksa and PM Wickremesinghe have announced to step down from their posts amid the ongoing protests.
However, the protesters who have occupied the residences of the President and Prime Minister have cleared that they will continue to occupy their houses until they resign from their posts.
The worsening economic situation in the country has led to increasing tensions and over the last few weeks, there were reports of several confrontations between individuals and members of the police force and the armed forces at fuel stations where thousands of desperate members of the public have queued for hours and sometimes days. Police have used tear gas and water cannons at times in a disproportionate manner. On occasions, armed forces have also fired live ammunition.
Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948, which comes on the heels of successive waves of COVID-19, threatening to undo years of development and severely undermining the country's ability to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice.Reduced domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and local currency depreciation have fuelled the shortages. The economic crisis will push families into hunger and poverty - some for the first time - adding to the half a million people who the World Bank estimates have fallen below the poverty line because of the pandemic.
( With inputs from ANI )
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