26 cabinet ministers in Sri Lanka resign suddenly - what happened?

The resignation of 26 cabinet ministers amidst the ongoing Sri Lanka's economic crisis, has caused a stir in the politics.

Crisis

The Sri Lankan Government is facing a severe economic crisis. The price of petrol, diesel and gas cylinders is at an all-time high. As a result, food prices have skyrocketed. People are suffering due to rising prices of essential commodities including rice, bread and milk.

Moreover, Sri Lankans are being forced to stand in long queues to buy groceries. In addition, the public is dissatisfied with the Government for causing 13-hour power cuts every day.

Emergency

Following this, the public staged a protest against the parliament building in the Sri Lankan capital. Also, people staged a protest in front of his house in Colombo demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Thus 45 people are said to have been arrested. A curfew has been imposed in several parts of Colombo and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a state of emergency due to the extraordinary situation prevailing in the country.

Resign

Meanwhile, 26 cabinet ministers of the Sri Lankan Government have announced their resignations. Speaking to reporters, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said, "Apart from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, 26 other ministers have resigned. All the ministers have submitted their resignation letters so that the Chancellor can form a new cabinet."

Rajapaksa's family members, including Finance Minister Basil, Agriculture Minister Chamal and Sports Minister Namal, have resigned.

Sri Lanka, which gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, is facing such a major economic crisis for the first time. Now, the resignation of all Sri Lankan cabinet ministers has caused further turmoil in the politics.