Basil meets with backbenchers.

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa has pledged the backbenchers of the Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) to resolve the present crisis but grant him one year to accomplish the task. The Finance Minister met with the backbenchers in a committee room in Parliament. Several backbenchers queried the Minister and gave a detailed explanation of what they were facing in the countryside. Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S.Jaishanka has invited Minister Rajapaksa for further discussions on the US$ one billion credit facility where Sri Lanka also has to fulfil its obligations, including the holding of the ProvincialCouncil Elections.