Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Whose Parents Were Jailed During India's Freedom Struggle to Visit Delhi

Bengaluru: Seventy-year-old Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lanka's new foreign minister, took charge as leader of the House in the Parliament on Friday.

A stalwart of Sri Lankan politics, Gunawardena is known for his plain-speak. He is a close confidante of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and as the joint opposition leader had kept the opposition flag flying high during the regime of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe between 2015 and 2019.

He is arriving in India on a two-day official visit on Thursday.

Educated in the US and Netherlands, Dinesh Gunawardena is a trade union leader and a fiery fighter like his legendary father Philip Gunawardena, who is known as the father of socialism in Sri Lanka.

Philip Gunawardena's love for India and efforts towards freedom against imperialist occupation started in early 1920s in the USA.

He was a classmate of Jayaprakash Narayan and VK Krishna Menon at the University of Wisconsin where he advocated for freedom from imperialist in American political circles, and later leading the Anti-Imperialist League of India in London.

But not many know that his family has close links to India and the entire family has strong pro-India leanings.

The foreign minister's father Philip and mother Kusuma had sneaked into India after escaping from Sri Lanka during the Second World War.

They had joined the underground activists who were fighting for the freedom and evaded the arrest for some time. In 1943, both of them were captured by the British intelligence who kept them at the Arthur Road jail in Bombay. After a year, they were deported to Sri Lanka and released only after the end of war.

It seems a matter of immense pride for him as Philip, Robert, Kusuma all took part in India's freedom struggle and went to jail in Bombay. Their association with India started almost a hundred years ago to free South Asia from the British Raj.

The first Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru had visited their family home in Sri Lanka to personally thank them for their unstinted support to India's freedom movement and their personal sacrifice.

After Sri Lanka gained Independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, both Philip and Kusuma went on to become Members of the Parliament. Philip was a founding leader and cabinet minister of people's revolution government in 1956. All his four children have also held high political posts, including the Mayor of Colombo, cabinet ministers, MPs, etc.

Dinesh Gunawardena, who has a clean image just like his parents, has been a powerful cabinet minister for over 20 years, arguing for a better relationship with India.

In this background, it is not surprising that as foreign minister, his first port of call is India.

Culturally, socially, historically and even in the mythological aspect, India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour for thousands of years and it is important to maintain the excellent relationship. There is a lot more to do in the coming days, say some of his close associates.

India, whose relationship with its neighbours has strained in the recent years, can use Dinesh Gunawardena's personal bond to win over the love of Sri Lankan people.