Ranil – Anura- Dinesh- the three musketeers

Three Idiots is a popular movie in India. It is a popular movie not only in India but also in the world. The story of this movie is about the pranks of three best friends in a school classroom. One is Ranchodras. The other is Farahan Kutawshi. The other is Raju Rastogia. Of these three, the class’s rioter is Ranchodras. In the end, he wins the world. This role is played by famous Indian actor Aamir Khan.

This movie story is remembered when we recall the past of Ranil – Anura – Dinesh who were classmates in Royal College. Of these three classmates, Anura is the son of Prime Minister Bandaranaike. More than that, he was the crown prince of the Bandaranayakes. Dinesh’s father Philip Gunawardena was a powerful minister in Bandaranaike’s government. Ranil’s father, Esmond Wickramasinghe, is the executive director of the Lakehouse newspaper company, which attacks the People’s United Front government of Bandaranaike and Philip Gunawardena, and is an adviser to U.N.P.

Although Anura-Ranil and Dinesh were close friends, Anura and Dinesh were together from 1956 to 1959. Ranil was cornered. In 1965, Ranil and Dinesh joined together. 1964 Ranil’s father Esmond, together with Dudley and JR together with  People’s United Front leader Philip got together and overthrew Mrs. Bandaranaike’s government. Anura’s mother not only lost the Prime Minister ship but also the Araliyagaha Mandiraya which was her home in Colombo.

Rosemid place Walawva, the Bandaranaikes’ Colombo mansion, had been mortgaged during this time. Anura had to travel from Horagolla Walawva to Royal College. Dudley, the new government’s Prime Minister, allowed the lady to stay in the Araliyagaha mandiraya until she found a house in Colombo, but the lady turned down Dudley’s kindness. People who know Anura-Ranil-Dinesh’s friendship say that despite how close these three are, Anura frequently fights with Ranil and Dinesh during this time.

Anura was the star among these friends. The reason for this is that Anura Bandaranaike was baptized as ‘Crown Prince’. Not only in the Royal college, and many in Sri Lanka and the world thought that Anura would be the next Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Dinesh’s father Philip Gunawardena was a U.N.P in 1965-70. With he joining of the government, the political influence of Dinesh’s family also went down. In the 1970 general election, Philip held the position of a Minister of the government. The UNP government suffered a crushing defeat. Ranil’s father was also devastated by that defeat.

In 1977, Anura was elected to Parliament, and Ranilda was also elected to Parliament. Dinesh was elected to Parliament in the 1983 by-election. That’s how the three cronies of the Royal college came to parliament. 1980 Ranil was a powerful minister in JR’s government. In 1983, Anura became the leader of the opposition. Dinesh joined Anura as an opposition member.

The politics of the fathers of these three, as well as their politics, ends with a great upheaval. In 1947, the U.N.P. was elected in the general election. Bandaranaike, who was a powerful minister in the government, left the U.N.P.

Ranil’s father, Esmond Wickramasinghe, started politics with the Ceylon New Samasamaja Party. He is a former member of the Politburo of Ceylon Samasamaja Party. He is a member of the Ceylon Samasamaja Party Political Committee. He fell in love with strong anti-left UNP loyal newspaper company owner D.R. Wijeyawardene’s daughter and decides to get married to her.

At this time, Lakehouse newspapers attacked the Lanka Samasamaja Party and the Communist Party in tandem. It is for this reason that Esmond’s marriage comes to the political board of the Lanka Samasamaja Party. There, Esmond promises the Lanka Samasamaj Political Committee that after marriage, he would try to stop the pro-UNP Lakehouse organization from attacking left-wing parties.

Happy with Esmond’s reply, the Ceylon Samasamaj political board allows Esmond’s marriage saying that this is a good chance for the Ceylon Samasamaj Party to win the Lakehouse newspaper company. But what happened was completely different thing.  Esmond joins as Executive Director of Lake house Newspapers Company. He became closest advisor to UNPleaders.

Dinesh’s father Philip Gunawardena after 1956 U.N.P defeat, said that the last nail in the coffin of U.N.P was placed. He attacked U.N.P leaders, Sir John, Dudley and JR, in a frenzy style. But finally, in 1964, he overthrew Mrs. Bandaranaike and the Ceylon Samasamaja Party, Communist Party government and formed the U.N.P Dudley and JR government. Finally he joined the U.N.P. He became a powerful minister of the government.

Anura, who was the crown prince of the Bandaranayakes and the ultimate enemy of the U.N.P, ends politics by joining the U.N.P. Then Ranil Wickremesinghe holds the post of Prime Minister. Just as Bandaranaike left the UNP and created the SLFP, Anura left the SLFP and joined the UNP. He joined UNP in 1993. In 2001, he re-joined the Sri Lankan Freedom Party after realizing that he had no place in the U.N.P. After Mahinda became President in 2005, in 2007, Anura started negotiations to re-join the U.N.P, but he died a few days later.

Since 1983, Dinesh has emerged as an anti-separatist, anti-capitalist, anti-privatization leader. He was a campaigner against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund against the sale of government agencies. But he eventually becomes prime minister under his crony Ranil and accepts power-sharing, selling government agencies, and subjecting himself to the terms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He becomes prime minister under Ranil and embraces the capitalist policy overnight. Ranil became Prime Minister for the first time in 1993 and took Anura to the U.N.P. Ranil 2022 became president and changed the policies of Dinesh.

But Ranil, who appeared as the ultimate enemy of the SLFP and the Podujana Peramuna, become the Prime Minister in 2022 and then become the President and become the leader of the Podujana Peramuna government. He was the protector of Podujana Peramuna and the Rajapaksas who were the arch enemy of U.N.P.

When you look at it like that, the political fate of these three people revolves differently than the stars. Ranil took Anurava as his leader. Anura was destroyed. Now Dinesh is under the leadership of Ranil. Dinesh’s future is uncertain. Like Anura, Ranil too has made a political summersault. It is not yet possible to say whether Ranil and Dinesh will be the same fate as Anura.

By Upul Joseph Fernando

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