Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna
National Liberation Front ජාතික විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | JVP/NLF |
| Founder | K. M. P. Rajaratne |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Merged into | United National Party |
| Headquarters | Polonnaruwa |
| Ideology | Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Anti-communism |
| Political position | Far-right |
Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; National Liberation Front) was a far-right political party in Sri Lanka formed in 1957 by K. M. P. Rajaratne and his wife Kusuma Rajaratne.[1] The JVP received support from local businesses, and anti-Tamil riots were extreme in villages in which it was active.
History
Following arrangements for talks between Federal Tamils and the government of Ceylon,[2] riots broke out against the country's Tamil population. Several Sinhalese mobs broke into Tamil houses and attacked. The attacks included rape. Violence was especially higher in the Polonnaruwa District, where the JVP was based.[3]
Following the riots, the government of Ceylon banned the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi and the JVP.[4] The bans lasted for several months.
Once the bans ended, the JVP contested in democratic elections, and joined the United National Party-led coalition government in 1965. The UNP promised positions to several political parties that were opposed to Marxism. Kusuma Rajaratne was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Home Affairs in the Third Dudley Senanayake cabinet, but resigned from the post in 1966 in protest against the Government's decision to introduce new laws to facilitate the official use of Tamil in administration.[5]
Electoral history
| Election year | Votes | Vote % | Seats won | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 March | 11,201 | 0.37% | 2 / 151
|
2 | Opposition |
| 1960 July | 14,030 | 0.46% | 2 / 151
|
Opposition | |
| 1965 | 18,791 | 0.46% | 1 / 151
|
1 | Coalition (1965–1966) |
| Opposition (1966–1970) |
References
- ^ A. Jeyaratnam (2010). Electoral Politics. p. 25.
- ^ Manor, James (1989). The Expedient Utopian: Bandaranaike and Ceylon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521371919.
- ^ "NPC Resolution on Tamil Genocide" (PDF). TamilGuardian. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "The Assassination of Bandaranaike", Sri Lanka: The Untold Story.
- ^ How a Seven Party National "Government was Formed Fifty Years Ago". Daily Mirror SL.