Dinesh Gunawardena took oath as Sri Lanka's most recent Prime Minister but that is not the only reason why the local media is obsessed with him. The fact that his father, Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena, who was an important part of the anti-imperialist and anti-colonial campaign had the media talking about him.
Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as the prime minister of Sri Lanka by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday along with 17 other cabinet ministers. Gunawardena, parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, took his oath in the capital Colombo in the presence of other senior legislators. Here is all you need to know about the senior Gunawardena.
Early Life of Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena
Philip Gunawardena was born on 11th January 1901 as the fourth son in a family of 8 children, in the famous Boralugoda family of Don Jaccolis Rupasinghe Gunawardena and Dona Liyanora Gunesekera. The leader acquired his schooling from Awissawella and continued later in Prince of Wales College (Moratuwa), and Ananda College (Colombo) before entering the University of Colombo. Without completing his higher education in Sri Lanka, he traveled to the United States to study Economics at the University of Illinois.
Meeting like-minded people
The late senior Gunawardena met with freedom fighters, Jomo Kenyatta and Jawaharlal Nehru. He also worked with Krishna Menon and Nehru for the Indian League once he was in London. In 1942, he fled to India and participated in India's struggle for freedom, however, he was caught and imprisoned. He was brought back to Sri Lanka in 1943 and was sentenced there to a term of six months, reported Srilanka Guardian.
Beginning of his political career
He started the first leftist Political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) in 1935 with many of his colleagues which was a milestone in the rebellious movement against Imperialism and Colonialism. Philip has faced many political whirlwinds than any of the well-known political leaders in this country. Dinesh Gunawardena's role in Sri Lankan politics will be critical as the country's economy is currently facing its worst economic crisis since independence.
Sri Lanka faces acute crisis
The country is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80 per cent depreciation of the currency since March 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves and the country's failure to meet its international debt obligations.As Sri Lanka scrambles to get back on track after the election of a new President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the people in the country -- who are facing severe economic hardship -- are still uncertain about the future.
(With ANI Inputs)
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