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A deputy was hospitalized and another accused of brandishing a knife during a bitter fight on the floor of the Sri Lankan parliament, during the latest escalation of the political turmoil that left the country without a prime minister or an agreed cabinet.
The Thursday morning session was dropped after supporters of disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa rushed to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya was defended by loyal deputies to Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sacked as Prime Minister two weeks ago and replaced by Rajapaksa in what Wickremesinghe's supporters called a political coup.
Palita Thewarapperuma, a member of Wickremesinghe's United National Party, seemed to be wearing a big knife in the fray. Another MP, Indika Anurudhha, said he lodged a complaint against the police about the incident on Thursday night.
Tharaka Basnayaka
(@Tharaka_)UNP MP Palita Thewarapperuma, in action during the parliamentary session today. #Srilanka #Policy #CoupLK #Cris Constitutional pic.twitter.com/kLqBtYQ370
More than three dozen deputies, most dressed in robes and white cotton belts, pushed and jostled for several minutes on the floor. Some saw punching and a member threw a waste basket in the direction of the speaker.
Dilum Amunugama, a Rajapaksa loyalist, was cut as he tried to take the speaker's microphone and bloodied his shirt, then was admitted to the hospital..
The Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe speakers finally left the room as the fighting continued.
Harsha de Silva, a member of the United Nations party, said that violence was "the most shameful day in parliament."
On Wednesday, MPs passed a no-confidence motion in Rajapaksa, which was hastily installed in office last month by President Maithripala Sirisena.
Sirisena was scrambling with Wickremesinghe but was not able to gather enough votes in parliament to formally oust his former coalition partner. Instead, he sought to force him out by dissolving Parliament and declaring an election, a decision that was temporarily stayed by the Supreme Court this week.
Sirisena said Wednesday night that he had refused to accept the censorship vote of that day, leaving a power vacuum.
"According to the vote of censorship held yesterday, there is no prime minister or cabinet of ministers at the moment, all these positions being invalidated by the vote," said Jayasuriya in Parliament .
In a speech delivered Thursday morning in parliament, amid mockery and shouts of support, Rajapaksa said he entered the office of prime minister to save the country from the corrupt and corrupt leadership of Wickremesinghe, and not from the government. a thirst for power.
"Even if the post of prime minister and the presidency are very important to you, it is not for me," he told his opponents.
"When the president entrusts us with the country in order to avoid a major disaster, it is our duty to accept this responsibility. I suggest that we consider this matter in front of over 15 million voters in the country instead of trying to resolve it among the 225 people sitting in this house. "
After the speech, the speaker tried to ask the deputies to approve or reject these remarks, but could not do so after members of parliament loyal to Rajapaksa rushed to get to his chair and the supporters of Wickremesinghe objected and that the fighting took place.
Thousands of United Nations party supporters gathered Thursday afternoon at Lipton Square in Colombo. They carried signs saying "abolish the executive presidency" and "drive out the rogue government".
A brass band played a dark funeral march behind a crowd carrying two red coffins, one for Rajapaksa and the other for Sirisena.
Wickremesinghe told the crowd, "Carry this message in your villages. We will lead this fight for democracy in every village. "
At about the same time, Rajapaksa announced that he was lowering the cost of fuel by 5 cents per liter from midnight – asserting his contested power and trying to rally support around his leaders.
Parliament was adjourned to Friday afternoon.
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