This is the headline of an article published in ‘Guruda Vigrahaya’ before the ‘aragalaya’ and before the economic crisis. The basis for that article was Dilit’s Twitter war with Gota’s President’s Secretary P.B. Dilit was of the opinion that the reason for Gota’s failure was PB hence P.B. should be removed or to be resign. Finally, Gota chose Dilith. PB had to go home.
Dilitha did the campaign not only to make Gota the president but also the presidential candidate. So Dilith is more worth to Gota more than PB. Dilith and Varuni Amunugama’s Tri Ad Company did the campaign for Chandrika before Gota identified Dilitha. Dilith’s company partner Varuni Amunugama is the daughter of former minister Sarath Amunugama. Before Try Ad Company did Chandrika’s campaign, Mangala’s sister’s advertising company did Chandrika’s campaign.
But the then President Chandrika was afraid to give Mangala’s sister the campaign in the 2004 General Election because of his close relationship with JVP, that Mangala’s sister’s company would give more publicity to JVP in the United People’s Freedom Alliance campaign jointly created by SLFP and JVP. At that time, Chandrika did not like Mangala closeness to JVP. She placed more weight to Dr. Sarath Amunugamat, who was a media stalwart and cross over to Sri Lanka freedom Party from U.N.P. Dilith and Chandrika’s company did the ‘Rata Pereta’ campaign in the 2004 general election with the intervention of Sarath Amunugama.
The campaign for the country was a hit campaign. Chandrika again formed a government. Dilith and Varuni got a TV and a radio channel. From then on, bad antics started between Chandrika and Mangala. Mangala stood for Mahinda in the 2005 presidential election. Sarath Amunugama backed for Chandrika. U.N.P against Mahinda. A group of ministers friendly to Chandrika were ready to go to presidential candidate Ranil. Sarath Amunugam was among them. Ranil told them not to come before the presidential election saying let’s form a national government after the presidential election. The victory was so sure for Ranil. At this time, Amunugama was trying to give Dilith and Varuni’s company a part of Ranil’s campaign.
Mahinda became president in 2005. Gota was the Defense Secretary. Amunugama was not a strong character. It was at this time that Dilith set up with Gota, Mahinda’s defense secretary, to do the campaign ‘Api venuven Api’ for the war. Since then, Dilit has been Gota’s ‘Agasav’. In the 2010 presidential election, Dilith and Varuni’s ‘Derana’ network came down to win Mahinda. The audio tapes of the white flag case against Fonseka were also given to the court. Until the 2015 presidential election, Derana was not a popular channel in Sri Lanka.
After 2015 presidential election Derana rose with, ‘Mahinda Wind’ live broadcast. In the end Derana could not lose Mahinda and Mahinda could not lose Derana. Through that strength Dilit use Derana, and make Gota the running presidential candidate. For Gota’s victory, Dilith went upto the extent of creating a snake drama in the Kelani river using his media network. Gota wins. Varuni’s husband Rohan Fernando was among Gota’s first appointees after Gota won. He becomes Telecom Chairman
The position of Telecom Chairman is a position reserved for kingmakers and close associates of the king. In 1994, Hemasiri Fernando played the biggest game to get Chandrika the Prime Minister’s candidacy. He was a confidant of the then opposition leader and Sri Lankan freedom party leader Mrs. Bandaranaike. He also coordinates ’Mathini’s’ astrological work. In 1994, Hemasiri gave the astrological advice to Mrs B, that if she wants to take power, she should put Chandrika in front and stay behind. He got conveyed it through madam’s astrologers. It is only after that that she decides to give Chandrika the prime ministerial candidature. After winning Chandrika and forming the government, Hemasiri is asked for the chairmanship of Telecom.
2001 Chandrika’s government was overthrown by S.B. – G.L a group of ministers from Chandrika’s government. One of the reasons for the overthrow of, Chandrika’s government is that Chandrika attacked Thilanga Sumathipala, the chairman of the cricket board. At that time, Thilanga was the closest political ally of Sports Minister S.B. After Chandrika’s government was overthrown in 2001 and the Ranil government was formed, Thilanga asked Ranil Telecom Chairmanship.
After winning the 2005 presidential election, the chairmanship of Telecom is given to Nimal Welgama, the owner of the newspaper ‘Divaina’ who stood for Mahinda. That is on Welgama’s request.
Although Maithripala won the 2015 presidential election and put Telecom under Mangala, his brother Kumarasinghe Sirisena was appointed as the Telecom chairman. The conflict between Maithripala and Mangala starts with this and it becomes a conflict between Maithripala and Ranil because this telecom chairman position is not given to a friend of Mangala.
After winning the 2019 presidential election, Gota gives the Telecom’s chairmanship to Varuni’s husband, representing Dilith and Varuni. Varuni’s husband Rohan Fernando also worked in Gota’s ‘Viyat Maga’. When Ranil became president after Gota’s running away from presidency, everyone thought that because of Dilit, Ranil would keep Rohan as Telecom Chairman.
After Ranil became the prime minister in 2015, Dilit became a good match for Ranil through Isshini Wickramasinghe, the daughter of Ranil’s brother. Varuni enlists the help of her father Sarath Amunugama, a minister in the Maitri-Ranil government, to avoid being attacked by Dilith Varuni’s close friend Ishini Wickramasinghe to avoid being attacked by the Maithri-Ranil government, who represented the Rajapaksas from 2005 to 2015. It is during this time that the relationship between Dilit, Ranil and Gota is made. On August 12, 2019, the Colombo Telegraph reports that Dilith acted as an intermediary in the negotiations between Gota and Ranil to make Ranil the Prime Minister if Gota becomes president. Ranil has made a deal through Dilith to defeat Sajith.
Finally Ranil became Prime Minister under Gota. Later became president. Ranil after becoming President signed the I.M.F. agreement and planned to privatise Telecom. Then the Telecom chairman Rohan Fernando stood against it. Selling telecoms is not easy. Thaksin Shinawatra, the minister of Thailand with a large popular mandate, had to flee the country to sell Thai Telecom to Singapore. The Thai king and military called the sale of Thai Telecom to Singapore an act of treason.
Everyone thought that Ranil will not touch Rohan because of Dilit. But Ranil left Dilit and chose Telecom.
‘Does that mean Dilit is not a valid coin to Ranil now…?’
I don’t know how to say. It is still too early to see if this choice is right or wrong.
