P. P. Devaraj

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P. P. Devaraj
Member of Parliament
for National List
In office
1989–1994
Member of Parliament
for Colombo District
In office
1994–2000
Personal details
Born (1929-02-21) 21 February 1929 (age 95)
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyCeylon Workers' Congress
Other political
affiliations
United People's Freedom Alliance
EthnicityIndian Tamil

Periannan Pillai Devaraj (born 21 February 1929) is a Sri Lankan politician and former minister of state.

Early life[edit]

Devaraj was born on 21 February 1929.[1] He was educated at St. Sylvester's College, Kandy.[2] He has a B.Sc. degree in economics.[2]

Career[edit]

Devaraj was director of the Congress Labour Foundation, part of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) and was an advisor to CWC leader Savumiamoorthy Thondaman.[2][3] He was later vice president of the CWC.[4]

Devaraj was appointed as one of the CWC/UNP alliance's National List MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 1989 parliamentary election.[2] He was appointed Minister of State for Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs on 18 February 1989.[5][6] He contested the 1994 parliamentary election as one of the CWC/UNP alliance's candidates in Colombo District but failed to get elected. However, he re-entered Parliament following the assassination of Ossie Abeygunasekera and Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi on 24 October 1994.[7] Following the death of Thondaman in 1999 Devaraj tried unsuccessful to gain the leadership of the CWC from Thondaman's grandson Arumugam Thondaman.[8]

Devaraj was elected chairman of the Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in 2007.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Directory of Past Members: Periannan Pillai Devaraj". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. ^ a b c d de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 296. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Devaraj elected Chairman of Global Level Indian Organisation". The Island (Sri Lanka). 27 December 2007.
  4. ^ Satyapalan, Franklin R. (22 August 2010). "Joint Committee of Indian Origin Organizations proposes". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  5. ^ de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 211. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
  6. ^ de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 215. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
  7. ^ "The question of the Tamil vote". The Island (Sri Lanka). 3 January 2010.
  8. ^ Kamalendran, Chris (9 July 2000). "Divided we stand". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  9. ^ "P. P. Devaraj-Chairman of Global Level Indian Organisation". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). 30 December 2007.