SLPP MP Akila Saliya Ellawale said Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa did not come to Parliament as he did not want to waste time.

The opposition MPs alleged that Basil Rajapaksa - the man who is at the centre of the current economic crisis - had failed to appear in Parliament for months. The Opposition MPs said the Finance Minister had chosen to stay away from Parliament as he wanted to avoid questions from the opposition.

"The Finance Minister has to find solutions to the current crisis. So, he does not want to waste time in Parliament," Ellawala said while speaking in Parliament today.

"He will come to Parliament at the right time," he said.

Responding to Ellawala's remarks, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said Parliament should be closed down if the Finance Minister consider it a "waste of time".