APD | Sri Lankan President defends decision to sack Prime Minister

By APD writer Easwaran

COLOMBO, Oct. 29 (APD) -- Sri Lanka's President, on Sunday night, defended the decision to sack his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe saying it was done as there were several allegations against him.

President Maithripala Sirisena said that one of his main concerns was that a Minister working under the Prime Minister had been linked to a plot to assassinate the President.

The President said that information on the involvement of the Minister came to light during ongoing investigations into the plot.

He said that after information related to the assassination plot and other allegations linked to Wickremesinghe came to light, he had no option but to invite former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to accept the post of Prime Minister.

The President invited political parties in Parliament to join him in the new Government to take the country forward.

Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on Friday and appointed Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister and later prorogued Parliament till November 16th.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)