'Your bastion has fallen': Former cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya joins anti-Gotabaya stir

New Delhi: Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya on Saturday joined thousands of protesters in Colombo and demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Angry citizens stormed Rajapaksa’s residence and nearby office on Saturday in the biggest demonstration yet to vent their fury against a leader they hold responsible for the island nation’s worst economic crisis.

“I always stand with the People of Sri Lanka. And will celebrate victory soon. This should be continued without any violation,” the 53-year-old cricketer tweeted along with the pictures. “The siege is over. Your bastion has fallen. Aragalaya and people power has won. Please have the dignity to resign now ! #GoHomeGota,” Jayasuriya said in another tweet.

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Commenting on the protest, Jayasurya tweeted, “in my entire life I have never seen the country united like this with one goal to throw out a failed leader.”

Apart from Jayasurya, his former team-mates Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have also been vocal against Rajapaksa and have lent support to the agitation. Sangakkara took to his official Twitter account to post a video of the Sri Lankan protests to express support for it, a post that Jayawardene also retweeted. While sharing the video, Sangakkara captioned the post, “This is for our future.”

“We as a country have changed direction and nothing can change that ‘people have spoken!! #GoHomeGota #peoplepower,” tweeted Jayawardene.

Meanwhile, on the one hand President Rajapaksa’s whereabouts are not known after he was moved out of his residence on Friday ahead of Saturday’s protests, on the other hand Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has agreed to resign after party leaders in Parliament demanded both he and the embattled president step down. At least 30 people, including two policemen, were injured in clashes between security personnel and protesters – some of them holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets – who had gathered in large numbers in the Fort area, demanding President Rajapaksa’s resignation. Dramatic visuals from outside Gotabaya Rajapakse’s residence showed a sea of demonstrators storming into the compound, tearing down security cordons placed by police, taking a dip in the swimming pool and romping through his kitchen and home_._ With input from agencies Also read Watch | Protestors swim in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s pool, enter kitchen after storming his official residence _**Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agrees to quit in biggest political turmoil**_ _**Sri Lanka under the Rajapaksa brothers: A timeline**_ Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees as protesters storm official residence How Sri Lanka’s financial crisis offers insights into troubled economies Bankrupt Sri Lanka asks Russia to provide fuel, resume tourist flights Sri Lanka is bankrupt, crisis to drag through 2023: PM Ranil Wickremesinghe Why Sri Lanka has been forced to keep its schools shut? 'Go home Gota' chants reverberate in Sri Lanka as protesters demand president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down Sri Lankan delegation set to meet IMF officials in Washington Sri Lanka seeks bridging finance from India till IMF bailout, say sources Crisis-hit Sri Lanka seeks India's help for cooking gas supply 'Sri Lanka's economic outlook uncertain, needs urgent policy measures', says World Bank Sri Lanka defaults on its $51 billion external debt, calls it 'last resort' as country runs out of foreign exchange Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.