Chaos in Lankan House; chilli powder, chairs hurled

Colombo, November 16 

Sri Lanka’s Parliament witnessed 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 the 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 PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Friday’s proceedings were to repeat the floor test which was disrupted on Thursday.

Ousted PM leader Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of anarchy if the situation 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 PM last month in a controversial move, had agreed to a floor test with the leaders of Wickremesinghe’s coalition during crisis talks last night.

The MPs backing Rajapaksa took over the Speaker’s seat, delaying proceedings, officials said. — PTI