V. Kumaraswamy Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Hon.
V. Kumaraswamy
Native Name:வே. குமாரசுவாமி
Native Name Lang:ta
Honorific-Suffix:MP
Constituency Mp:Chavakachcheri
Parliament:Ceylonese
Term Start1:1947
Term End1:1956
Successor1:V. N. Navaratnam
Birth Date:31 July 1919
Death Place:Colombo, Sri Lanka
Alma Mater:Ceylon Law College
Profession:Lawyer
Blank1:Ethnicity
Data1:Ceylon Tamil

Velupillai Kumaraswamy (ta|வேலுப்பிள்ளை குமாரசுவாமி; 31 July 1919 – 10 March 1978)[1] was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life and family

Kumaraswamy was born on 31 July 1919.[2] He was the son of Velupillai, a proctor from Chavakachcheri in northern Ceylon.[3] After school Kumaraswamy joined Ceylon Law College, qualifying as an advocate.

Kumaraswamy had a son (Vaheeswaran) and a daughter (Dushyanti).[3]

Career

Whilst still studying law, Kumaraswamy stood as the All Ceylon Tamil Congress's (ACTC) candidate in Chavakachcheri at the 1947 parliamentary election.[3] He won the election and entered Parliament.[4] Kumaraswamy became a Parliamentary Secretary after the ACTC joined the United National Party dominated government in 1948.[3] [5]

Kumaraswamy was re-elected at the 1952 parliamentary election.[6] The ACTC left the UNP government in 1953 but Kumaraswamy chose to remain with the UNP.[7] Kumaraswamy left the UNP in 1956 over the party's support of the Sinhala Only Act.[7]

Kumaraswamy stood for re-election in the constituency at the 1956 parliamentary election as an independent candidate but was defeated by the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) candidate V. N. Navaratnam.[3] [8] He was the ACTC's candidate in the constituency at the March 1960 and 1970 parliamentary elections but on each occasion was defeated by Navaratnam.[9] [10] He contested the 1977 parliamentary election as an independent candidate but was again defeated by Navaratnam.[11]

Kumaraswamy practised law in Colombo.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: குமாரசாமி காலமானார் . 29 May 2020 . Eelanadu . 11 March 1978 . Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
  2. Web site: Directory of Past Members: Kumaraswamy, Velupillai. Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  3. Book: Arumugam, S.. Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. 1997. 90.
  4. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 2016-02-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115557/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1947%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF. 2015-09-24. dead.
  5. Book: Rajasingham, K. T.. Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. https://web.archive.org/web/20020103152932/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/CK10Df03.html. unfit. 2002-01-03. Chapter 14: Post-colonial realignment of political forces.
  6. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 2013-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115603/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1952%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF. 2015-09-24. dead.
  7. Book: Rajasingham, K. T.. Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. https://web.archive.org/web/20020208193722/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/CK17Df01.html. unfit. 2002-02-08. Chapter 15: Turbulence in any language.
  8. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 2013-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115606/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1956%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF. 2015-09-24. dead.
  9. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 2013-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712194326/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1960_03_19%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF. 2015-07-12. dead.
  10. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 2010-04-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20091209231958/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1970%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF. 2009-12-09. dead.
  11. Web site: Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. 2013-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002624/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/General%20Election%201977.PDF. 2011-07-17. dead.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "V. Kumaraswamy".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.