PIC BY PRADEEP PATHIRANA

By Yohan Perera

Price of an egg will rise to Rs 1000 if Sri Lanka fails to stabilize the economy, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.   

Mr. Wickremesinghe made this remark during his speech at an election rally in Hatton which he spoke both in lighter vein and with seriousness. However, he quickly turned serious when elaborating on the economy.   

“Sri Lanka’s primary account balance surplus is 0.6 percent currently but it has to be increased to 2.8 percent of the GDP. Also, the proposal of the NPP government to increase pay as you earn (PAYE) threshold to Rs 200,000 is hardly practical. What our government planned was to keep it at 150,000 in 2025. It is essential to stabilize the economy if not the price of an egg will go up to Rs 1000,” he said.   

A man at the rally was heard shouting eggs are expensive. Mr. Wickremesinghe who was speaking at that time said in a lighter vein that price of eggs have gone up as hens are against the NPP government.   

Also he said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should tender an apology to the estate community on behalf of his late leader Rohana Wijeweera who opposed granting citizenship to them. “It was a UNP government which granted citizenship to the estate sector in the 1980s. It was the JVP founder leader who opposed this move,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said.