Â鶹APP

Chandrika by Vikalpa Sri Lanka from

Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is a politician from Sri Lanka who held the office of President of Sri Lanka from November 12, 1994, to November 19, 2005. the nation’s second female prime minister and first and only female president, respectively. She is the daughter of two former prime ministers and served as the party’s leader until the end of 2005.

1. Her father S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was an Oxford-educated barrister 

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, an Oxford-educated lawyer who served as the Minister of Local Administration at the time of her birth, was her father. a politician with left-wing and nationalist views who, at the time, had a sizable following known as the Sinhala Maha Sabha.

He was the lone child of Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranike, also known as the Maha Mudaliyar, who served as the Governor of Ceylon’s chief counsellor and chief Ceylonese representative. Her mother, Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, was a descendant of Ratwatte Dissawa, Dissawa of Matale, who signed the Kandyan Convention of 1815 on behalf of the Sinhalese. Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa, Rate Mahatmaya of Balangoda during British colonial rule, was the father of Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike.

2. Her father was active in politics

Horagolla Walauwa by Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne from

The young Chandrika Bandaranaike was raised in luxury by the affluent Bandaranaike family in their mansion at Rosmead Place in Colombo and in their ancestral home of Horagolla Walauwa, which served as her father’s constituency. From the time of Ceylon’s independence in 1948 until his abrupt split from the ruling party in 1951 to found his own party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), with the support of the Sinhala Maha Sabha, her young daughter witnessed her father’s ascending political career.

He was the first Cabinet Minister of Health and Local Government. While running in the subsequent elections and bolstering the SLFP in the meantime, Bandaranaike rose to prominence, first as the leader of the opposition in 1952 and then as prime minister in 1956.

3. Her father was assassinated 

Bandaranaike by United Press International from Wikimedia Commons

He was slain in 1959, when Chandrika was fourteen, after introducing a number of contentious laws that exacerbated ethnic tensions on the island. After his murder, Bandaranaike’s distraught widow assumed control of the SLFP and guided it to victory in the 1960 elections, becoming the first woman to hold the position of prime minister in the history of the globe.

Chandrika was the second of three children in the family, and as such, she became active in politics at a young age alongside her siblings. Anura Bandaranaike, the younger brother, entered politics and later rose to become a cabinet minister and Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, while Sunethra Bandaranaike, the older sister, became a socialite.

4. Chandrika was well educated 

After receiving her education at St. Bridget’s Convent in Colombo, Chandrika enrolled in the Roman Catholic Aquinas University College in Colombo to pursue a legal education. On a scholarship from the Institute of French Studies, she began studying law in France in 1967, but she left Aquinas before finishing. After taking a course in French language and culture, she spent a year there at the Institut d’études politiques d’Aix-en-Provence.

She began studying political science in 1968 and completed her degree at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Â鶹APP (Sciences Po) in 1970. She then enrolled in a PhD program in development economics at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Â鶹APP, where she studied from 1970 to 1973. [5] [6] She speaks English, French, and Sinhala with ease.

5. Her marriage to  Vijaya Kumaratunga led to a fallout with her family

She married renowned actor Vijaya Kumaratunga in 1978, transitioning from LSSP to SLFP political activist. She helped him run for office in the Mahara by-election of 1983, which he lost after a recount.

When Vijaya Kumaratunga founded his own party, the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya (SLMP), in support of his political activities against the policies of the mainstream parties, she quit the SLFP in 1984. She held the position of SLMP Vice President. She grew estranged from her mother and brother, who were in charge of the SLFP at the time, as a result.

6. She became the first female President of Sri Lanka 

Gamini Dissanayake. by Masako Kawasaki from

Gamini Dissanayake, the head of the opposition sponsored by the UNP, ran against Prime Minister Kumaratunga, who was backed by the PA.

Dissanayake’s widow, Srima Dissanayake, assumed leadership after he was soon killed by an LTTE suicide bomber. With 62.28% of the vote, Chandrika won the 1994 presidential election. In November 1994, when she was elected Sri Lanka’s first female president, she named her mother to succeed her as prime minister.

7. Much of her major economic projects failed and the country was in recession by 2001

The clothing industry, foreign remittances from migrant unskilled labour, and tea exports all saw increases as her government continued the liberal economic policies of the UNP. By 2001, the nation was in a recession as a result of several of her key economic initiatives failing.

She privatized several successful state companies, including the State Distilleries Corporation, Air Lanka, and others. These privatizations were controversial because Kumaratunga was accused of accepting sizable bribes for the sales, and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka later declared several of these sales to have been illegal. For illegally acquiring land and then selling it for the Water’s Edge development project, she was given a three million rupee punishment by the court.

8. She made conciliatory moves toward the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE) 

Tamil Tiger women by marietta amarcord from italy from

She began her reign by attempting to resolve the current civil conflict by negotiating with the rebel Tamil Tigers (LTTE). When the LTTE violated the cease-fire and blew up the two Sri Lanka Navy gunboats known as SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru on April 19, 1995, these overtures were unsuccessful.

After that, she adopted a more militaristic course of action against them, conducting a number of significant offensives like Operation Riviresa, which relieved the LTTE of control over the Jaffna peninsula. The Battle of Mullaitivu in 1996 and the Battle of Kilinochchi in 1998, however, dealt her a severe blow. After that, her government began Operation Jayasikurui, which quickly ran into trouble due to high casualty rates.

9. She was almost assassinated 

Shri Narendra Modi by Prime Minister’s Office from

An early presidential election was scheduled by Kumaratunga in October 1999. During her final election rally at the Colombo Town Hall on December 18, 1999, the Tamil Tigers attempted to assassinate her, causing irreversible optic nerve damage to her right eye. In the election that was held on December 21st, she was successful in defeating Ranil Wickremasinghe, and the next day she was sworn in for another term.

During her second term, the civil war worsened and her administration suffered crushing losses to the LTTE in battles like the Second Battle of Elephant Pass and the attack on Bandaranaike Airport. The nation’s economy entered a recession for the first time ever in 2001.

10. Her husband was assassinated 

Dr. Manmohan by Prime Minister’s Office Blue pencil from

In front of his home in Narahenpita on February 16, 1988, attackers shot and killed Vijaya Kumaratunga in front of his wife. In order to join the United Socialist Alliance with the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, and the Nava Sama Samaja Party, Chandrika Kumaratunga briefly assumed control of her husband’s political party. It was well-organized, yet there were no votes.

In 1988, she quickly left the country out of fear for her life and sought safety in the UK. She was employed by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at the UNU. The SLMP split into two groups while she was away, and she was removed as its leader as a result.