Sri Lanka president’s brother quits Parliament amid crisis

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Basil Rajapaksa, the younger brother of Sri Lanka’s president and the country’s former finance minister, has resigned from Parliament amid mounting criticism of his alleged role in dragging the island nation into its worst economic crisis in memory. He told a news conference Thursday he had submitted a letter to quit his Parliament seat but insisted that he was not solely responsible for the country’s economic hardships. The resignation could be seen as a severe blow to the Rajapaksa dynasty, which has faced growing public outrage. Protesters say the primary responsibility for the economic crisis rests with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, who have ruled Sri Lanka for much of the past two decades.