Colombo, May 15 (PTI) The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party on Monday dismissed rumours that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa would be reappointed as the prime minister of the island nation.

Rajapaksa, the 77-year-old leader who served both as the president and the prime minister of Sri Lanka on different occasions, resigned as the premier of the island nation last year in May amid massive anti-government protests that erupted due to the economic crisis.

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Apart from Mahinda Rajapaksa, his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the then president of the country, also had to resign as the protests had turned violent after the public blamed the Rajapaksa family of mishandling the economy and heavy corruption due to which the nation fell into a deep financial crisis.

Speculation was rife that Rajapaksa would be sworn-in last Friday. However, the SLPP on Monday refuted any such possibility or development.

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"There is no such move of making Mahinda Rajapaksa the prime minister and the SLPP has not made such a request to the president," Sagara Kariyawasam, the party general secretary, told reporters.

The rumours were given strength due to a special security operation deployed in the capital and immediate suburbs.

Armed soldiers were seen manning the roads doing random security checks while security at important government establishments was beefed up.

The police sources said the security deployment was based on intelligence information that a group was planning to create trouble in the city.

Mahinda Rajapaksa was replaced by the current president Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

With Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation two months later Wickremesinghe replaced him as the President to serve the balance term until the end of 2024.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)