Who is Rohini Kavirathna - the one the whole country is talking about?

This story is the true story of Rohini Kumari Wijeratne

The story of Rohini Kaviratne's name, whose name changed only after marriage

Laggala became a constituency in the March 1960 election. United National Party leader Mudiyanselage Pahuregedara Muthubanda won the Laggala constituency in 1965 on the UNP nomination. Muthubanda, who was nicknamed 'Laggala Wessantara' because he distributed everything to the people except the saree he was wearing during a Laggala viyasa, was the most famous gem miner in Laggala at that time.

Sumana Podimanike, the daughter of MP Pahuregedara Muthubanda, or 'Laggala Wessantara'. She married Wijeratne Banda of Jambugaha Pitiye. He is also related to a UNP political family. Laggala, a leftist stronghold that the UNP could never win, was won by J.P. Wijeratne Banda in the July 1977 election. He received 13,649 votes while M.C. Gopalle of the SLFP (former Governor Gopallawa family) received 10,254 votes. From then on, he became the MP for Laggala and Matale continuously until 1994. He also became the Deputy Minister of Information and the State Minister of Agricultural Production and Marketing.

That Wijeratne Banda's daughter was Rohini Kumari Wijeratne of Jambugaha Pitiyegedara.

In the 1977 election, R.M. P.B. Kaviratne became the UNP MP for Rattota. Kavirathna was the Member of Parliament for Rattota/Matale from 1977-1994 under the J.R. Jayewardene and R.Premadasa governments. He held the positions of Deputy Minister of Private Transport and State Minister of Culture.

The son of Rattota Punchi Banda Kavirathna is Rasnayake Mudiyanselage Sanjeewa Bandara Kavirathna. While he was a Provincial Councilor, he married Rohini Kumari Wijerathna through a semi-arranged/love affair. Sanjeewa was a popular young politician in Sri Lanka at that time. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament in 2001.

Rohini Kavirathna won the 2015 election as the fifth generation parliamentary representative of Matale.

This is a world record for Rohini Kavirathna. Rohini's uncle, that is, her mother's father, Muthubanda (1965 Laggala MP), that is, uncle, uncle (Wijerathna Banda), uncle (P.B. Kavirathna), husband (Sanjeewa Kavirathna) and Rohini Kavirathna have become MPs for five generations, representing the same district, by the vote of the public.

Rohini Kumari Wijerathna married Sanjeewa Bandara Kavirathna of Rasnayake Mudiyanselage on 27 May 1994 at Mahakande, Peradeniya, with the witnesses being President R. Jayewardene and Gamini Dissanayake. J.R. said at the wedding ceremony, 'Today the sun and the moon rise in Matale at the same time'. That day, she became Rohini Kumari Kavirathna at the Jambugaha Pitiyegedara. It is a tradition of Sri Lankan society and the Kandyan marriage system, not a practice of changing one's name in the newspaper.

Rohini studied at Pallegama Central College and later worked as a mathematics teacher at several schools including Kaikawala Central College and Parakrama, Weragama. She has lost even her pension and even underwent surgery on her elbow in an attack that occurred at the height of the Matale gangster politics.

Generational politics is not new to Sri Lanka. However, Rohini Kaviratna has established herself in Matale politics with more ability and skill than 5 generations. Putting aside her ministerial positions in the good governance government, Rohini became the true representative of the people. Rohini, who came into politics through her generation, is the character who filled the political vacuum in Matale in 2015. The Lord of Matale is a character who brought rich politics to the world.

(Matale Ranjaya Herath)