Sri Lanka’s Parliament witnessed complete chaos on Friday as rival lawmakers threw chilli powder and furniture at each other, disrupting the proceedings for the second day, forcing the Speaker to summon police inside the House and adjourn the session until Monday.
The brawl occurred a day after Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced there is no prime Minister or Government following a no-confidence motion against disputed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Friday’s proceedings were to repeat the floor test which was disrupted on Thursday.
Ousted prime minister and United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of anarchy if the situation in the country was not resolved.
The status quo must return to what it was before October 26, he was quoted as saying by Colombo Gazette. President Maithripala Sirisena, who installed Rajapaksa as Prime Minister last month in a controversial move, had agreed to a floor test with the leaders of ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s coalition during crisis talks last night. PTI
The MPs supporting Rajapaksa took over the seat of the Speaker, delaying the proceedings, officials said. They shouted slogans against Jayasuriya and broke furniture. Some Rajapakse loyalists were also seen throwing chilli powder at rival legislators and police, the report said.