“The enemy of my enemy is my friend…”
J.R. decided to release Rohana Wijeweera from prison after reading this idea in Machiavelli’s book The Prince. If J.R. had not released Wijeweera, there might never have been a youth rebellion against him. When J.R., who was extremely helpless in the face of the JVP rebellion, was under intense pressure, the then Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Bandaranaike, also drew from Machiavelli’s The Prince and revived the JVP, which had been reduced to ashes during Premadasa’s time.
This was because she believed that the enemy of her enemy was her friend.
J.R. released Wijeweera from prison partly to appease her. She, in turn, revived the JVP to weaken the UNP. However, figures within the Sri Lankan People’s Party, including Prime Minister Chandrika and Mahinda, aimed to prevent the JVP from entering electoral politics while still using it to defeat the UNP and seize power. This strategy was disrupted when the UNP government under President D.B. Wijetunga allowed the JVP to contest the 1994 general election.
When the JVP entered parliamentary politics in 1994, three prominent figures emerged within the party. One of them was Premakumar Gunaratnam, one of the most powerful members of the JVP at the time. He was the brother of Ranjitham Gunaratnam, a member of the JVP Politburo in 1989. During the period when the JVP was spreading terror across Sri Lanka and demanding the withdrawal of the Indian Peacekeeping Force, Kumar Gunaratnam was involved in militant activities, including attacks on Indian military targets in the North-East.
This contributed to his reputation as an armed leader, especially after the assassination of key figures such as Rohana Wijeweera. He held significant influence within the JVP Politburo. Known for his militant stance, he was associated with campaigns such as “Drive out the Indian Army,” and was linked to attacks that killed Indian peacekeepers during the period following the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord.
In 2012, he clashed with then JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe over alliance politics involving Somawansa and Anura Kumara. As a result, a large group of JVP members, including Kumar Gunaratnam, broke away and formed the Frontline Socialist Party. Later, Somawansa Amarasinghe himself came into conflict with other JVP leaders, including Anura Kumara and Vijitha Herath.
Another key figure in these internal conflicts was Anura Kumara. He joined the JVP later and was not a senior member during the earlier uprisings, but he became known as a skilled orator. Because of this, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the United People’s Freedom Alliance government formed by the SLFP and the JVP in 2004.
One of the first conflicts within the 2004 JVP-SLFP government arose due to disagreements involving him. He demanded control over the Mahaweli portfolio in addition to Agriculture. At the time, SLFP Secretary Maithripala strongly opposed this and even considered boycotting the swearing-in of the JVP ministers. Eventually, a compromise was reached: the Mahaweli portfolio remained under President Chandrika, while the JVP was given a deputy ministerial role.
Anura Kumara later initiated a project to build 10,000 tanks. However, President Chandrika leaked a cabinet paper to the media through then Prime Minister Mahinda, alleging corruption in the project. This caused significant embarrassment to the JVP and contributed to the breakdown of the SLFP-JVP alliance. While Chandrika publicly attributed the split to disagreements over the tsunami relief agreement with the LTTE, the corruption allegations against Anura were widely seen as a major underlying factor.
Following this period, Anura Kumara became increasingly influential within the JVP. His rise coincided with internal conflicts, including his clash with Kumar Gunaratnam. After Gunaratnam left the party, Anura later clashed with Somawansa Amarasinghe, eventually removing him from leadership and becoming the party leader himself. These internal struggles weakened the party significantly, to the point where it struggled to field a strong candidate in the 2015 presidential election.
In that election, Anura Kumara and the JVP indirectly supported the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena, reportedly influenced by figures such as Mangala Samaraweera and Ranil Wickremesinghe. Although Maithripala won, the JVP’s political strength continued to decline, falling to just three seats in the 2020 general election. Anura himself received around 3% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election.
While Anura Kumara and the JVP struggled under Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s strong mandate, Kumar Gunaratnam’s Frontline Socialist Party was also facing challenges. However, Gunaratnam was active behind the scenes in mobilizing protest movements, including the “Gota Go Home” campaign.
During this period, Anura Kumara emerged as a leading public figure in the protest movement and eventually rose to the presidency.
After becoming President, another figure, Punyasiri Kumara Jayakody, was brought into prominence. A contemporary and close associate of Anura Kumara, he had been a full-time member of the JVP. In 2004, when Anura served as Minister of Agriculture, he appointed Jayakody to a managerial role in the Fertilizer Company. Similarly, during the Maithripala–Ranil administration in 2015, Jayakody was again appointed to a key procurement role, reportedly with Anura’s support. It was during this time that corruption allegations were raised against him.
Despite these allegations, Anura later appointed him to Parliament via the national list and gave him the powerful position of Minister of Energy.
More recently, the Bribery Commission has filed charges against him in court. There have been calls—even from within JVP-affiliated circles—for him to step down from his ministerial role until the case is resolved. The opposition has also raised additional allegations. However, Anura has defended him, stating that the accusations do not relate to his time as a minister.
“Is Kumara Jayakody the next Arjuna Mahendran for Anura Kumara?”
The Chandrika–JVP government collapsed in part due to conflicts involving Anura Kumara. Kumar Gunaratnam, who helped shape the JVP after Wijeweera, eventually broke away following internal disputes, contributing to the party’s decline. Now, Anura Kumara—who later rebuilt the party—faces a political crisis linked to his close associate, Kumara Jayakody.
“Is the JVP suffering from the Kumaras?”
