Anuruddha Ratwatte

General Anuruddha Ratwatte
Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa Acting
In office 1964–1965
Basnayake Nilame of Natha Devale, Kandy
Minister of Power and Energy and Deputy Defense Minister
In office 1994–2001
Personal details
Born	14 July 1938 Kandy, Sri Lanka
Died	Kandy, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political affiliations	United National Party
Spouse(s)	Carman Ratwatte (née Rangala)
Children	Lohan, Mahendra, Chanuka
Alma mater	Trinity College, Kandy
Occupation	Politics
Profession	Politician
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Military service
Allegiance	Sri Lanka
Service/branch	Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force
Rank	General

General Anuruddha Leuke Ratwatte (14 July 1938 – 24 November 2011), known as "Anuruddha Ratwatte", was a Sri Lankan politician and Cabinet Minister. He had also served as the Acting Diyawadana Nilame (Chief lay Custodian) of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy and former Basnayake Nilame (Lay Custodian) of the Natha Devale, Kandy.

Early life

Ratwatte was educated at Trinity College, Kandy. He was a cousin of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

He is the son of Harris Leuke Ratwatte who was former Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, He was a member of the State Council in 1936 to 1947 for Kegalle and United National Party Member of Parliament for Mawanella 1947 to 1952. His eldest son Lohan is the Member of Parliament representing the Kandy District and second son Mahendra is the current Basnayake Nilame of Sri Maha Vishnu Devalaya of Kandy & Dedi Munda Devalaya of Aluthnuwara & former Mayor of Kandy.

Politics

Anuruddha Ratwatte had been a Councillor in the Kandy Municipal Council representing the United National Party In the late 1960s later in 1980s Leader of the Opposition in the Kandy Municipal Council representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Ratwatte entered national politics in the late 1960s as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Chief Organizer for the Sengkadagala Electorate. In the 1970 and 1977 General Elections, he contested Sengkadagala Electorate from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party but was defeated. He entered the Sri Lanka Parliament in February 1989 as a nominated Member on the National List, In 1994, he was elected to parliament from the Kandy District representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was appointed by Chandrika Kumaratunga, his niece as Cabinet Minister for Power and Energy and Deputy Defense Minister. While Kumaratunga held the portfolio of Minister of Defense.

Military career

Ratwatte had served in the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On the successful completion of the Operation Riviresa which resulted in the recapture of the Jaffna peninsula, which Ratwatte oversaw as deputy defence minister; he was promoted to the rank of General by President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1995. He fell out of favour when Operation Jayasikurui failed to achieve its primary objective of gaining a land route to the Jaffna peninsula and was called off by President Kumaratunga in 1999.

See also

• Diyawadana Nilame, Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy
• List of political families in Sri Lanka
• Radala
• Lohan Ratwatte

External links

• The Ratwatte Ancestry
• 'Anuruddha was second Sapumal Prince'

• Mahendra Ratwatte resigns as Mayor of Kandy. Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
• 1970 Parliamentary Elections Results. Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
• 1977 Parliamentary Elections Results. Official Website, Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka’s former Deputy Minister of Defense General Anuruddha Ratwatte has passed away