Confident of winning No Confidence Motion, says Sri Lankan PM, dismisses reports of stepping down

Colombo, May 4 (Representative) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has said he is confident of winning the No Confidence Motion against him, as he holds the majority support in Parliament. He made the statement hours after the main opposition SJB handed over a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the President and another against the Prime Minister to Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Tuesday afternoon. The Prime Minister, speaking to Daily Mirror, said that he would not let the no-confidence motion hinder his work to resolve the ongoing economic crisis, as the majority of MPs in Parliament supported him and had pledged support to his Premiership and his solutions to resolve the ongoing crisis. “I am very confident of winning the No Confidence Motion. I have the numbers with me in Parliament. If I lose the numbers, I will step down,” Rajapaksa said. The Prime Minister said that reports circulating of his resignation are false, and he will not resign from the Premiership.

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Prime Minister was due to resign after making a special statement in Parliament on Wednesday, as he had lost the majority support. However, Rajapaksa said his statement in Parliament would not include his resignation but would focus on several other issues. He however said he would step down from the post if President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested him to leave. “If the President tells me to go, I will leave immediately. But there has been no such request,” the Prime Minister said. The opposition SJB headed by Sajith Premadasa handed over two No Confidence Motions to the Speaker on Tuesday in a bid to form a new government. Political sources said that the NCM against the President will be tabled in Parliament first and the opposition is presently gathering support to pass it, the report said.