OREANDA-NEWS  The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka on Monday bluntly dismissed "speculative" reports that New Delhi would send troops to the island nation, adding that "such views" are not the Indian government's position.

The clarification has come as protesters have refused to leave the official residences of the president and prime minister despite the country's armed forces making requests.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have yet to submit their papers despite showing a willingness to step down from the post under the pressures of protesters.The president had fled before thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence on Saturday. The parliamentary speaker said Rajapaksa would resign on the auspicious day of 'Buddha Purnima' (13 July).

President Rajapaksa has also not accepted the resignations of Harin Fernando Manusha Nanayakkara Dammika Perera Bandula Gunawardena from the cabinet. On Monday, these ministers will attend a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's opposition parties are also cobbling together to pick leaders who can replace Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe to continue negotiating with donors, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The first round of negotiation for a bailout package for the "bankrupt" Sri Lankan economy was concluded on 30 June on positive notes from the IMF. The island nation's depleting foreign exchange reserves since the beginning of this year has led to acute shortages of essential items, leaving people struggling to obtain food, fuel, and other necessities. The country has reeled from foreign exchange reserves shortages, essential for imports, as poor economic policy and COVID-19-induced slowdown brought the once a fast developing country into bankruptcy.