C. Vanniasingam

Honourable C. Vanniasingam MP
கு. வன்னியசிங்கம்
Member of the Ceylonese Parliament for Kopay
In office 1947–1959
Succeeded by	M. Balasundaram
President of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Preceded by	S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
Succeeded by	N. R. Rajavarothiam
Personal details
Born	12 October 1911
Died	17 September 1959 (aged 47)
Political party	Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Alma mater	Ceylon University College
Profession	Lawyer
Ethnicity	Ceylon Tamil

Coomaraswamy Vanniasingam (Tamil: குமாரசாமி வன்னியசிங்கம்; 12 October 1911 – 17 September 1959) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life and family

Vanniasingam was born on 12 October 1911.^[1] He was the son of V. Coomaraswamy, a proctor and Tamil scholar from Tellippalai in northern Ceylon.^[2] Vanniasingam's brother was C. Balasingam, the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury.^[2] Vanniasingam was educated at Mahajana College, Tellippalai and Jaffna Hindu College.^[2] After school Vanniasingam joined the Ceylon University College, graduating in 1933 with a B.A. degree.^[2][3]

Vanniasingam married Komathy, a daughter of physician Srinivasan.^[2] They had five daughters - Hemavathi, Sathiyavathi, Renukathevi, Bahirathy and Ranjini.^[2]

Political Career

Vanniasingam joined the legal profession as an advocate and practised law in Jaffna.^[2]

P. G. Thambyappah, the All Ceylon Tamil Congress's (ACTC) candidate in Kopay at the 1947 parliamentary election, died during the election campaign.^[2] Vanniasingam was chosen to replace Thambyappah.^[2] He won the election and entered Parliament.^[4]

In 1948 division arose amongst ACTC members over the party leadership's decision to join the United National Party (UNP) led government. Vanniasingam was one of those who opposed joining the UNP government. The dissidents, led by S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, E. M. V. Naganathan and Vanniasingam, eventually left the ACTC and formed the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) in 1949.^[5] Vanniasingam served as president of ITAK.^[6]

Vanniasingam stood as the ITAK candidate in Kopay at the 1952 parliamentary election and was re-elected.^[7] Vanniasingam was one of only two ITAK MPs and with ITAK leader Chelvanayakam out of Parliament Vanniasingam functioned as the parliamentary leader of the party.^[2] He was re-elected at the 1956 parliamentary election.^[8] Following the 1958 riots ITAK and the Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna (National Liberation Front) were banned.^[9] ITAK's leaders, including Vanniasingam, were arrested on 4 June 1958 as they left Parliament and imprisoned .^[10]

Vanniasingam died on 17 September 1959.^[1][2]

References

1. "சாணக்கியன்: வன்னியசிங்கம் 100வது ஆண்டு மலர் 2011". Noolaham.
2. Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. p. 242.
3. Ceylon University College Prospectus 1936-37. Ceylon University College. 1936. p. 60.
4. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-04.
5. Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (2000). Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the 19th and 20th Centuries. C. Hurst & Co. p. 82.
6. "Conducive environment vital for talks - ITAK president". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). 14 September 2014.
7. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-04.
8. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-04.
9. Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (1994). S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and the Crisis of Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism, 1947–1977: a Political Biography. University of Hawaii Press. p. 89.
10. Vittachi, Tarzie (1958). Emergency '58 the Story of the Ceylon race Riots. André Deutsch. p. 90.