C. Vanniasingam
Encyclopedia
Coomaraswamy Vanniasingam was a Ceylon Tamil politician, Member of Parliament
and one of the founders of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
(Federal Party).
and Tamil
scholar from Tellippalai
. Vanniasingam's brother was C. Balasingam, the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury.
Vanniasingam was educated at Mahajana College, Tellippalai, and Jaffna Hindu College
. He later entered Ceylon University College and was awarded a University of London
degree in 1933. After graduation he joined the legal profession, becoming an advocate
and practising law in Jaffna
.
Vanniasingam married Komathy,a daughter of Dr Srinivasan. They had five daughters - Dr Hemavathi Balasubramaniam, Sathiyavathi Nellalingam, Renukathevi Sivarajan, Bahirathy Vanniasingam and Ranjini Shanthakumar.
's candidate for Kopay
at the 1947 parliamentary election died during the election campaign. Vanniasingam was chosen to replace Thambyappah. He won the election and entered Parliament
.
In 1948 division arose amongst ACTC members over the party leadership's decision to join the United National Party
led government. Vanniasingam was one of those who opposed joining the UNP government. The dissidents, led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam MP, Senator E. M. V. Naganathan
and Vanniasingam, eventually left the ACTC and formed the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
(Federal Party), which was inaugurated on 18 December 1949. Vanniasingam was a strong supporter of the new party and its federalist
platform.
Vanniasingam was re-elected at the 1952 parliamentary election, this time representing ITAK. Vanniasingam was one of only two ITAK MPs and with Chelvanayakam out of Parliament Vanniasingam became leader of the parliamentary party. He was re-elected at the 1956 parliamentary election when ITAK became the dominant Tamil party, overtaking the ACTC.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and one of the founders of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress...
(Federal Party).
Early life
Vanniasingam was born on 13 October 1911. He was the son of V. Coomaraswamy, a proctorProctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
scholar from Tellippalai
Tellippalai
Tellippalai or Thellippalai is a small town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka.It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. It was known as Tillipally in ACM documents...
. Vanniasingam's brother was C. Balasingam, the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury.
Vanniasingam was educated at Mahajana College, Tellippalai, and Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College is a boys public national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1886 by a group of Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christian missionary schools. JHC is known throughout Sri Lanka as Hindu College.-History:In the late 19th century all the...
. He later entered Ceylon University College and was awarded a University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
degree in 1933. After graduation he joined the legal profession, becoming an advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
and practising law in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
.
Vanniasingam married Komathy,a daughter of Dr Srinivasan. They had five daughters - Dr Hemavathi Balasubramaniam, Sathiyavathi Nellalingam, Renukathevi Sivarajan, Bahirathy Vanniasingam and Ranjini Shanthakumar.
Political career
P. G. Thambyappah, the All Ceylon Tamil CongressAll Ceylon Tamil Congress
All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament...
's candidate for Kopay
Kopay Electoral District
Kopay Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Kopay in Jaffna District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing...
at the 1947 parliamentary election died during the election campaign. Vanniasingam was chosen to replace Thambyappah. He won the election and entered Parliament
Parliament of Ceylon
The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948...
.
In 1948 division arose amongst ACTC members over the party leadership's decision to join the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
led government. Vanniasingam was one of those who opposed joining the UNP government. The dissidents, led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam MP, Senator E. M. V. Naganathan
E. M. V. Naganathan
Dr. E. M. V. Naganathan was a Sri Lankan physician and politician, representing Nallur, Jaffna in the Parliament of Sri Lanka.-Early life and education:...
and Vanniasingam, eventually left the ACTC and formed the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress...
(Federal Party), which was inaugurated on 18 December 1949. Vanniasingam was a strong supporter of the new party and its federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
platform.
Vanniasingam was re-elected at the 1952 parliamentary election, this time representing ITAK. Vanniasingam was one of only two ITAK MPs and with Chelvanayakam out of Parliament Vanniasingam became leader of the parliamentary party. He was re-elected at the 1956 parliamentary election when ITAK became the dominant Tamil party, overtaking the ACTC.