{{Short description|Ceylonese politician (1921–1983)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=September 2020}} {{Tamil name|Vaithianathan|Karalasingham}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = V. Karalasingham | honorific_suffix = | native_name = வி. காராளசிங்கம் | native_name_lang = ta | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|07||df=yes}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{Death date and age|1983|09|08|1921|07|df=yes}} | death_place = | other_names = {{Ubl|Karlo|Sobhana Roy|V. S. Roy}} | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = Lawyer | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Vaithianathan Karalasingham''' ({{langx|ta|வைத்தியநாதன் காராளசிங்கம்}}; July 1921 – 8 September 1983) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, writer, politician and one of the leading members of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.
==Early life and family== Karalasingham was born in July 1921.<ref name="TI201012">{{cite news|last1=Wijeratne|first1=Charita|title=Karalasingham, the revolutionary|url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=64095|work=The Island (Sri Lanka)|date=20 October 2012}}</ref> His father Vaithianathan was a civil servant who worked in several parts of the country.<ref name="MIA">{{cite web|title=Encyclopedia: Ka|url=https://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/k/a.htm|publisher=Marxists Internet Archive}}</ref> As a result, Karalasingham was educated at schools in Kalutara, Pannipitiya and Colombo, including Ananda College.<ref name="TI201012"/><ref name="MIA"/> It was at Ananda that he was given the nickname Karlo by principal L. H. Mettananda.<ref name="TI201012"/> Karalasingham had three brothers including V. Balasingham and V. Thanabalasingham.<ref name="MIA"/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Dharmasena|first1=Salpitkoralage Gamini|title=More than just an academic|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070408/Plus/007_pls.html|work=The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)|date=8 April 2007}}</ref>
Karalasingham had a daughter (Nina) and a son (Chakravarthy).<ref name="TI201012"/>
==Career== Karalasingham joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) in 1939.<ref name="TI201012"/><ref name="MIA"/> When World War II broke out in September 1939 the LSSP opposed the "second imperialist war".<ref name="TI270102">{{cite news|last1=Fernando|first1=Meryl|title=Shunned power for principles|url=http://www.island.lk/2002/01/27/featur06.html|work=The Island (Sri Lanka)|date=27 January 2002|authorlink=Meryl Fernando}}</ref><ref name="DN190402">{{cite news|title=Birth Anniversary : Edmund Samarakkody - stormy petrel of revolution|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2002/04/19/fea06.html|work=Daily News (Sri Lanka)|date=19 April 2002}}</ref> The LSSP played a major role in a wave of strikes in 1939/40 and consequently it was proscribed in 1940 and its leaders Colvin R. de Silva, Philip Gunawardena, N. M. Perera and Edmund Samarakkody arrested in June 1940.<ref name="DN190402"/><ref name="TI050102">{{cite news|last=Fernando|first=Amaradasa|title=Edmund Samarakkody kept faith to the last|url=http://www.island.lk/2002/01/05/featur02.html|newspaper=The Island|date=5 January 2002}}</ref><ref name="DN050111">{{cite news|last1=Botejue|first1=Vernon|title=Edmund Samarakkody's 18th Death Anniversary: Politician and trade union leader|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2011/01/05/fea06.asp|work=Daily News (Sri Lanka)|date=5 January 2011}}</ref> Leslie Goonewardene evaded arrest and went into hiding.<ref name="TI050102"/> The quartet were imprisoned at Welikada Prison but after staging a hunger striker they were transferred to Bogambara Prison.<ref name="DN190402"/><ref name="TI050102"/><ref name="DN050111"/> The four LSSP leaders, aided by sympathetic prison guards, escaped from Bogambara on 7 April 1942 and whilst de Silva, Gunawardena and Perera fled to India Samarakkody went into hiding in Ceylon.<ref name="TI050102"/><ref name="DN050111"/>
Karalasingham was sent to Bombay, India in 1941 and became the "mascot of the Indo-Ceylon revolutionary leadership".<ref name="TI201012"/><ref name="MIA"/> In India the LSSP leaders merged their party with the Bolshevik Leninist Party of the United Provinces and Bihar and the Bolshevik Mazdoor Party of India to create the Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) in April 1942 with the LSSP as its Ceylonese branch.<ref name="DN190402"/><ref name="TI050102"/> Karalasingham was one of the founding members of the BLPI.<ref name="MIA"/> De Silva, Gunawardena and Perera were arrested by the Indian police in 1943 after being betrayed by Stalinist called Shukla and deported back to Ceylon.<ref name="TI050102"/> Other LSSP members (Hector Abhayavardhana, Doric de Souza, Leslie Goonewardene, Vivienne Goonewardene, Karalasingham, Allan Mendis and Bernard Soysa) stayed behind in India to build up the BLPI.<ref name="TI050102"/> Karalasingham was editor of the Calcutta based ''Permanent Revolution'' between 1943 and 1945.<ref name="TI201012"/><ref name="MIA"/> He and de Souza were arrested in Bombay in March 1945, deported to Ceylon and imprisoned in Badulla.<ref name="TI201012"/><ref name="MIA"/>
Karalasingham was secretary BLPI's Ceylon branch (1945), served on the editorial board of ''New Spark'' (1947–48), member of the BLPI central committee (1947–48) and was a delegate at BLPI conferences (1944, 1947, 1948).<ref name="MIA"/> He was a delegate at the Third World Congress of the Fourth International in 1951.<ref name="MIA"/> He studied law in Britain between 1952 and 1958 and on returning to Ceylon became an advocate of the Supreme Court.<ref name="MIA"/> Karalasingham stood as the LSSP candidate in Kankesanthurai at the March 1960 parliamentary election but on was defeated by S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, leader of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi.<ref name="pe60m">{{cite web|url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1960_03_19%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209231748/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1960_03_19%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-12-09|title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19|publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka}}</ref>
Whilst Ceylon's main political parties, the United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) supported the Sinhala Only Act, the leftists, led by the LSSP, opposed the act.<ref name="TI050102"/> In May 1960 LSSP leader Perera proposed that the party form a coalition government with SLFP.<ref name="TI270102"/> Samarakkody led a group of LSSP members opposed the proposition.<ref name="TI270102"/> De Silva, de Souza, Goonewardene and Soysa initially opposed Perera's proposition but eventually abandoned their beliefs and supported the move.<ref name="TI270102"/> The LSSP joined the SLFP government in June 1964.<ref name="TI050102"/><ref name="ST220608">{{cite news|title=Leftists join the government|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080622/FunDay/heritage.html|work=The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)|date=22 June 2008}}</ref> LSSP members who opposed the move (Meryl Fernando, Karalasingham, Samarakkody, Bala Tampoe etc.) left the LSSP and formed the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) (LSSP(R)) with Samarakkody as its secretary.<ref name="TI270102"/><ref name="TI050102"/><ref name="ST220608"/> In December 1964 the LSSP(R)'s two MPs, Fernando and Samarakkody, together with several rebel SLFP MPs, voted for an opposition amendment to the government's throne speech, defeating the government and precipitating the dissolution of Parliament.<ref name="TI050102"/><ref name="ST220608"/>
Karalasingham stood as the LSSP(R) candidate in Kankesanthurai at the 1965 parliamentary election but was again defeated by Chelvanayakam.<ref name="pe65">{{cite web|url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1965%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209231813/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1965%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-12-09|title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965|publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka}}</ref> Fernando and Samarakkody's action in December 1964 proved controversial within the LSSP(R) as they had in effect supported the capitalist UNP which would go on to win the 1965 parliamentary election.<ref name="TI270102"/> The LSSP(R) supported Fernando and Samarakkody's action but some members who opposed it (Karalasingham and the Sakthi group) left the LSSP(R) and rejoined the LSSP in 1966.<ref name="MIA"/><ref name="TI270102"/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Jeyaraj|first1=D. B. S.|authorlink1=|title=Remembering Comrade Bala Tampoe, the Legendary Trade Union Leader|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/72659/remembering-comrade-bala-tampoe-the-legendary-trade-union-leader|work=The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)|date=15 May 2015}}</ref>
Karalasingham stood as the LSSP candidate in Uduvil at the 1970 parliamentary election but on was defeated by sitting MP V. Dharmalingam.<ref name="pe70">{{cite web|url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1970%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF|title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970|publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka|access-date=2010-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209231958/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/Results_1970%20GENERAL%20ELECTION.PDF|archive-date=2009-12-09|url-status=dead}}</ref> He served on the editorial board of ''State'' in the 1970s and was a director of the state-owned Air Ceylon between 1970 and 1975 when the LSSP was in a coalition government with the SLFP.<ref name="MIA"/> Karalasingham died on 8 September 1983.<ref name="TI201012"/><ref name="MIA"/>
==Works== Karalasingham wrote several books and articles during his career:<ref name="MIA"/> * ''The War in Korea'' (1950, Janata) * ''Politics of Coalition'' (1964, International Publishers) * ''Senile Leftism: A Reply to Edmund Samarakkody'' (1966, International Publishers) * ''Czechoslovakia, 1968'' (1968, International Publishers) * ''The Way Out for the Tamil Speaking People'' (1963, Young Socialist)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Arulingam|first1=Swasthika|author1link=Swasthika Arulingam |last2=Kadirgamar|first2=Ahilan|title=Crisis in Tamil society and challenges before Tamil politics|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150913/sunday-times-2/crisis-in-tamil-society-and-challenges-before-tamil-politics-163937.html|work=The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)|date=13 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Samaranayake|first1=Ajith|title=The way forward for the Tamil-speaking people: CIRCA 1963|url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2002/10/06/fea04.html|work=Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka)|date=6 October 2002}}</ref> * ''Enter History'' (1970)
==Electoral history== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" |+ Electoral history of V. Karalasingham ! scope=col|Election ! scope=col|Constituency ! scope=col|Party ! scope=col|Votes ! scope=col|Result |- | 1960 March parliamentary<ref name="pe60m"/> || Kankesanthurai || LSSP || align=right|{{Nts|5042}} || Not elected |- | 1965 parliamentary<ref name="pe65"/> || Kankesanthurai || LSSP(R) || align=right|{{Nts|2257}} || Not elected |- | 1970 parliamentary<ref name="pe70"/> || Uduvil || LSSP || align=right|{{Nts|1264}} || Not elected |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{LSSP}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karalasingham, V.}} Category:1921 births Category:1983 deaths Category:Alumni of Ananda College Category:Ceylonese advocates Category:Lanka Sama Samaja Party politicians Category:Politicians from Northern Province, Sri Lanka Category:People from British Ceylon Category:20th-century Sri Lankan lawyers Category:Sri Lankan Tamil politicians Category:Sri Lankan Tamil writers Category:Sri Lankan expatriates in India