Sri Lanka crisis: Government calls another all-party meeting

The government will hold an all-party meeting on the current Sri Lanka economic crisis on Tuesday. The meeting will be chaired by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar, said Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi.

During an all-party meeting convened on Sunday ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, Tamil Nadu-based DMK and AIADMK demanded India intervene in the neighbouring country which is facing a debilitating economic crisis, reported news agency PTI.

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 is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with a severe foreign exchange shortage hampering the import of essentials including food, fuel and medicines. The economic crisis also sparked a political crisis in the country after a popular uprising against the government.

Addressing reporters after the all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament which was attended by leaders of various parties, Joshi also said that the government was open for discussion on all issues under rules and procedures of Parliament.

Condemning the opposition for creating a row over unparliamentary words and circulars issued in routine for the past several years, he said such a practice is being carried on since 1954 when the first such list was brought out, and said the opposition was doing so as it was devoid of any issues against the government.