From Vijaya Kumaratunga to Sarath Fonseka and now Ranil Wickremesinghe, imprisonment has been less about silencing opponents than about reshaping political battle lines, dividing allies, and redrawing the future of Sri Lanka’s power struggles.
“The President says that if he loses, he will accept defeat, go home and sleep. Should he be allowed to sleep? No. What he needs is not a vote but a punch in the face. I tell J.R. that he will have to roll up his sleeping mat and leave Ward Place by the 20th. I am the party’s Deputy Secretary, Vijaya Kumaratunga. If the police do not solve this, there will be bloodshed. Otherwise, we will settle this in five minutes…” (22 June 1982 – Dinamina)
Dinamina published this as Vijaya’s speech during the 1982 presidential campaign. By November 19, 1982, Vijaya was arrested, accused of plotting a Naxalite conspiracy to assassinate J.R. Jayewardene and seize power.
Then–Prime Minister Premadasa told Parliament that J.R. had learned of this through Mrs Bandaranaike’s brothers. Anura Bandaranaike later gave a statement to CID chief Tyrrell Gunathilaka, sealing Vijaya’s arrest.
Once in prison, Vijaya was abandoned. Neither Mrs Bandaranaike nor Anura visited him or defended him. J.R. even joked that he deserved a statue for saving them from Vijaya. The truth was betrayal: Bandaranaike and Anura protected SLFP leadership by handing Vijaya to J.R.
Vijaya’s popularity, however, surged after 1982. Both Bandaranaike and Anura feared he would seize the SLFP, while J.R. worried about losing the referendum. Vijaya fell ill behind bars, prompting Chandrika to plead with J.R. for mercy. Eventually, he was freed.
After his release, Vijaya realised his true enemies were not J.R. but Bandaranaike and Anura. He rallied opposition parties, campaigning to defeat J.R. in the 1983 by-elections. Yet Bandaranaike and Anura continued to undermine him.
Seeing no future in the SLFP, Vijaya split away with leaders T.B. Ilangaratne, V.W. Kularatne, and Kobbekaduwa to form the Mahajana Party.
J.R. exploited the split. In the 1984 by-elections at Kundasale and Minneriya, Vijaya’s Mahajana Party came second, pushing the SLFP to third place. By the time J.R. signed the Indo-Lanka Accord, Vijaya supported it, strengthening J.R.’s position. In 1988, Vijaya ran as a third candidate, but before he could reshape the contest, the JVP assassinated him. His friend Ossie split the SLFP vote, handing Premadasa victory.
Vijaya’s imprisonment, intended to destroy him, ironically brought fortune to J.R. and the UNP, as his release fractured the opposition.
History repeated in 2010. Mahinda Rajapaksa, like J.R., won the presidency by jailing his opponent—UNP–JVP candidate Sarath Fonseka. Again, Mrs Bandaranaike’s camp aligned with the ruling side. Ranil Wickremesinghe and his allies quietly backed Mahinda, fearing Fonseka’s rise. Ranil avoided protests demanding Fonseka’s release. Mahinda released him swiftly.
Upon release, Fonseka realised his true rival was Ranil, not Mahinda. He formed the Democratic Party, splitting the UNP vote and cutting its base to 20% in the 2013–2014 elections. By 2015, foreign forces rallying against Mahinda secured Fonseka’s support for Maithripala Sirisena.
“Is Ranil, recently released, now seeking to weaken the opposition just as Vijaya and Fonseka did after prison?” critics ask.
Since release, Ranil has not worked to unite but to dominate the Samagi Jana Balavegaya. Media friendly to him reported Sajith before the Bribery Commission, aiming to crush the party into submission.
When Vijaya was jailed in 1982, Bandaranaike’s SLFP turned J.R. against him. When Fonseka was jailed in 2010, Ranilists strengthened Mahinda. Now, as Ranil faces jail, Sajith and the SJB protest despite contempt risks.
The media, once carried by Sajith’s shoulders, now seeks Ranil’s imprisonment. His actions, however, mirror a recurring disease: imprisoned leaders painting allies as enemies and dividing opposition. It is a fate common to governments with two-thirds power. J.R. in 1982, Mahinda in 2010, and Anura today all share that shadow.
SOURCE :- SRI LANKA GUARDIAN
