'Politicians only want power... Big Brother India must help'

The fuel crisis in Sri Lanka continues to remain grim, with long lines being witnessed outside fuel stations. People have been waiting hours to get some fuel into their vehicles, but the line hasn't moved forward.

The continuing economic crisis and political instability that has gripped Sri Lanka has left the people of the cash-strapped island nation anguished and desperate for a breather.

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Asianet News spoke to some Sri Lankans who had been waiting since morning for fuel. The anger towards the Rajapaksa family and lopsided government policies is evident.

"We have been waiting here since July 12. I reached here around 11:30 am on that day. I am still in the queue, and I do not see myself getting fuel tonight. Even tomorrow, we are not sure of getting the fuel. Hopefully, we can get it by Saturday. That is also not sure," a vehicle owner spoke to Asianet News outside a petrol pump in Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

"We have our jobs. I work for a company. But still, I have been waiting here for three days, and there are no sanitation facilities either. The government does not care about people. They (politicians) only want power. To remain in power, they will do any type of criminal things. That's what they are doing now," he said.

Heaping scorn upon the Rajapaksa family, he said: "We have been protesting for over 95 days. We don't know where our President is. He has fled the country, and he has pushed this country into an abyss through his corruption. The Rajapaksa family, since 2005, they corrupted this nation. Because of them, today, we are waiting in queues."

"There are no medicines. There is a shortage of gas. India helped us for a long time till the credit line ended. We do not know who is going to help us," he said and appealed to the Indian government to help the people of Sri Lanka as India was the "big brother".

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