Sri Lanka Crisis: The Centre has called for an all-party meeting on Tuesday to discuss the economic crisis that is gripping Sri Lanka currently. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday said that the meeting will be briefed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
During a meeting of parties convened on Sunday ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Tamil Nadu-based DMK and AIADMK demanded India intervene in the neighboring country which is facing a debilitating economic crisis.
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During the Sunday meeting, both DMK and AIADMK raised the Sri Lankan issue, especially the condition of the country's Tamil population. Talking to reporters after the meeting, NDA constituent DMK leader M Thambidurai said India should intervene to resolve the crisis in Sri Lanka.
Party leader TR Baalu also demanded India's intervention in addressing the situation confronting the island nation.
Sri Lanka's economic crisis
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in recent months, calling for the country's leaders to resign over accusations of economic mismanagement.
The country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.
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