Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Encyclopedia
Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary Ceylon Equal Society Party) was a group that broke away from the Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party
, since Philip Gunawardena
(of one the two principal LSSP leaders) refused to reconcile with the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
. When the BSP and LSSP fused in 1950, Gunawardena split to form VLSSP.
In 1952 VLSSP entered into an electoral alliance with the Communist Party
. In the parliamentary elections that year, VLSSP won one seat (represented by Gunawardena's wife, Kusumasiri Gunawardena).
Philip Gunawardena lead the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (VLSSP) since 1951 and as constituent party formed the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP, Peoples’ United Front) in 1956 under the leadership of Mr.SWRD Bandaranaike to form the first people’s government in 1956 General Election. At that election, VLSSP won five seats in the parliament as part of MEP. Philip Gunawardena became the Minister of Agriculture, Food, & Co-operatives and his party colleague P. J. William de Silva became the Minister of Fisheries & Industries. They served as a key members of the Cabinet of SWRD Bandaranaike.
But the presence of the leftist VLSSP in the government irritated the rightist sections of SLFP, who maneuvered VLSSP out through a series of intrigues. MEP fell apart and the government was defeated. In 1959 VLSSP was disbanded and Gunawardena reorganized his party with the name Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
. His new party was however not a trotskyist formation.
VLSSP should not be confused with Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary)
, which was a later splinter-group of LSSP.
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka....
, since Philip Gunawardena
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena introduced Trotskyism to Sri Lanka, where he is a national hero, known as 'the Father of Socialism' and as 'the Lion of Boralugoda'.-Early life & education:...
(of one the two principal LSSP leaders) refused to reconcile with the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
The Bolshevik Samasamaja Party was the Ceylon section Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma after 1945 and of the Fourth International in 1948-1950, after the dissolution of the BLPI....
. When the BSP and LSSP fused in 1950, Gunawardena split to form VLSSP.
In 1952 VLSSP entered into an electoral alliance with the Communist Party
Communist Party of Sri Lanka
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka is a communist political party in Sri Lanka. At the last legislative elections, on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats....
. In the parliamentary elections that year, VLSSP won one seat (represented by Gunawardena's wife, Kusumasiri Gunawardena).
Philip Gunawardena lead the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (VLSSP) since 1951 and as constituent party formed the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP, Peoples’ United Front) in 1956 under the leadership of Mr.SWRD Bandaranaike to form the first people’s government in 1956 General Election. At that election, VLSSP won five seats in the parliament as part of MEP. Philip Gunawardena became the Minister of Agriculture, Food, & Co-operatives and his party colleague P. J. William de Silva became the Minister of Fisheries & Industries. They served as a key members of the Cabinet of SWRD Bandaranaike.
But the presence of the leftist VLSSP in the government irritated the rightist sections of SLFP, who maneuvered VLSSP out through a series of intrigues. MEP fell apart and the government was defeated. In 1959 VLSSP was disbanded and Gunawardena reorganized his party with the name Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna is a left-wing political party in Sri Lanka. Today the party is led by Dinesh Gunawardena, son of Philip Gunawardena....
. His new party was however not a trotskyist formation.
VLSSP should not be confused with Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary)
Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary)
Lanka Sama Samaja Party was a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. LSSP was formed in 1964 when the Lanka Sama Samaja Party was expelled from the Fourth International. LSSP was constituted by the ideological hardliners who opposed LSSP joining the national government and wanted to preserve the...
, which was a later splinter-group of LSSP.