Ready to give up if AKD could revive economy within six months: PM

• The economy was bankrupt and would take several years to be revived 
• It would be an appreciative effort if he could resolve the present crisis within six months

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera  

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday he was ready to step down as the Prime Minister if JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake could revive the economy within six months as he claims.  

The Prime Minister making a special statement in Parliament on the progress of the IMF talks, said the economy which was bankrupt, cannot  be revived overnight and it would take several years to do so.  

He said if MP Dissanayake is in possession of an action plan to develop the economy as he often says, he could present it to the President or if he was not ready to do so, he could present it in Parliament.   

“It would be an appreciative effort if he could resolve the present crisis within six months,” he said.  
He said there was no country in the world which revived an economy with minus economic growth within six months and that it would be an endeavour which would deserve Guinness World Record for economy, if someone had done so.