34 Facts About Wijeyananda Dahanayake

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was a Sri Lankan politician.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from September 1959 to March 1960.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake became a teacher at St Aloysius' College, Galle before entering active politics having been elected to the Galle Municipal Council in 1939 as a leftist and served as Mayor of Galle.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake served as the member of parliament from Galle from 1947 to 1977, with a brief interval in 1960.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake dismissed the Cabinet of Ministers and called for fresh elections, for which he formed his own party.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake then served as Minister of Co-operatives from 1986 to 1988.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake is noted for having contested from almost every major party of his time and has the record for the longest speech in parliament, lasting thirteen and half hours.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was born as a twin in Dangedera, Richmond Hill, Galle and was named Don Wijeyananda Dahanayake after the Wijayananda Pirivena.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake's father was Don Dionesius Panditha Sepala Dahanayake, was a Muhandiram, who later served as the Kackckeri Mudliyar of Galle and was a scholar in oriental languages.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake joined the teaching staff of St Aloysius' College, Galle, where he taught English, mathematics, history and geography and received training at the teaching college in Maharagama.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake organized student protests against the British colonial administration.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was elected the first Mayor of Galle in 1939 and served till 1941.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was prosecuted by the police for organising a strike during the height of war, which angered the British colonial administration.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake represented himself in court without a lawyer and won against the crown prosecution.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake contested in a by-election to the State Council of Ceylon in 1944 from Bibile.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake represented himself in court without a lawyer.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake later re-joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party under Dr N M Perera and successfully contested the 1952 general elections from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and retaining his seat.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was expelled from the party for hosting a reception for the Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake's visit to Galle.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was himself re-elected from Galle having joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake gave university status to the Vidyodaya Pirivena and Vidyalankara Pirivena.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was later confirmed by parliament in this position.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake took on the portfolios of defence and external affairs as well as education.

The situation deteriorated under Wijeyananda Dahanayake, which was compounded by the investigation into the assassination which drew suspicion on several ministers and resulted their resignation or removal.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake made a sudden request to the Governor-General of Ceylon for the dissolution of parliament on 5 December 1959 calling for fresh elections.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake then responded with dismissing Cabinet Minister from the Freedom Party.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake's party put forward 101 candidates, but is only four candidates won a seat in parliament.

In 1964, Wijeyananda Dahanayake gained fame when he attempted and was prevented from entering parliament chambers in a span cloth in protest of government of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike's rationing of clothing to two yards of textiles per month per person due to foreign exchange shortage.

The party supported the United National Party in forming a national government and Wijeyananda Dahanayake was appointed Minister of Home Affairs.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was re-elected in the 1970 general elections from the United National Party and sat in the opposition.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake resigned from United National Party and sat as an independent after his request for a free vote for the republican constitution was refused.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake challenged Silva in an election petition in the Galle High Court and in the Supreme Court, representing himself and a judgment in his favor unseating Silva in 1979.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake gained the seat in the following by-election as the candidate from the United National Party with a majority of 13,012 votes and sat as a backbencher.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake was appointed Minister of Co-operatives by JR Jayewardene in March 1986 and serving till 1988.

Wijeyananda Dahanayake found the prime minister's bed room too large and had it partitioned.