Dinesh Gunawardene, the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka – Gunawardene, who was the education minister in the last Gotabaya-Mahinda government, has deep family ties to India.
After the President, the name of the new Prime Minister has also been announced in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 72-year-old Dinesh Gunawardene has been made the new Prime Minister. The Leader of the House in Parliament took oath as the PM on Friday.
Gunawardene was the education minister in the last Gotbaya-Mahinda government. His family has deep ties with India. Gunawardene’s father, Philip Gunawardene, fought for India’s independence. Sri Lanka Crisis New cabinet to be sworn in today Dinesh Gunawardana elected Prime Minister. New cabinet to be sworn in today in Sri Lanka, Dinesh Gunawardana elected Prime Minister
Educated in the United States of America and the Netherlands, Dinesh Gunawardene was a trade union leader and a soldier like his father Philip Gunawardene. Philip Gunawardene is known as the father of socialism in Sri Lanka. Philip Gunawardene’s love for India and struggle towards independence against imperialist occupation began in the early 1920s in the United States of America. His wife supported him a lot in this work.
Philip Gunawardene had been a classmate of Jayaprakash Narayan and VK Krishna Menon at the University of Wisconsin. He advocated independence from imperialism in American political circles. Later he also headed the Indian Anti-Imperialist League in London. Few people know that their family has a close connection with India. The entire Gunaward family has pro-India leanings.
After fleeing Sri Lanka during the Second World War, the Prime Minister’s father Philip and mother Kusuma took refuge in India. He became one of those underground workers. who were fighting for freedom and escaped arrest for some time. In 1943, both of them were caught by the British Secret Service. He was kept in Arthur Road Jail in Bombay for some time. A year later Philip and his wife were deported to Sri Lanka and released only after independence.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru praised Philip Gunawardene’s sacrifice in India’s freedom movement. Nehru also visited Philip’s house during his Colombo tour. The family was personally thanked for their contribution to the freedom movement.
After Sri Lanka gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, both Philip and Kusuma became members of Parliament. Philip was a founding leader and cabinet minister of the People’s Revolution government in 1956. All four of his children have also held high political positions including Mayor of Colombo, Cabinet Ministers, MPs etc.
Dinesh Gunawardene, who has a clean image like his parents, has maintained good relations with India. He has been a powerful cabinet minister for over 22 years.
