There is speculation within the UNP whether Ranil Wickremesinghe had resigned due to Indian pressure.
Although since the day before yesterday the media had reported that Ranil Wickremesinghe was to resign from his post, at that point he had not decided to resign.
However, there is suspicion within the UNP whether Deputy Minister Nalin Bandara’s sudden media briefing demanding that Ranil Wickremesinghe should resign, was based on a request by the victorious Rajapaksa camp.
Until November 19th Wickremesinghe was of the stand that an early election should take place in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. However, even his closest associates had been notified of his resignation only last afternoon (20).
Meanwhile, the visiting Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had met with Wickremesinghe on Tuesday night (19) and there is suspicion whether this meeting was the reason Wickremesinghe had changed his stance.
The statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the meeting is shown below.
(Mirror)