[11] Don Mathew died in 1945 and at the resulting by-election his brother Don Alwin Rajapaksa was elected without a contest. The Rajapaksa brothers are the children of Don Alwin Rajapaksa, a Sri Lankan politician and freedom fighter and a founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Basil Rajapaksa, brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, was on Thursday sworn in as Sri Lanka's Minister of Finance, becoming the fourth . The decision came on a day supporters of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa--Mahinda's younger brother--attacked anti-government demonstrators in Colombo, leaving at least 78 people injured. [25] Over the next three and a half years, Fonseka and Rajapaksa's brother, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, led the country's armed forces in their battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers), ultimately defeating the Tigers and killing their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. As the presidential election slated for November approached, the SLPP announced the presidential candidacy of his brother Gotabaya, who had served as his hawkish defense minister in the final years of the civil war. A sudden and draconian ban on the importation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in 2021 resulted in a food shortage, exacerbating the challenges brought on by a global bottleneck in supply chains. [71][72] Sirisena had been Minister of Health in Rajapaksa's government and general secretary of the SLFP before defecting to the opposition coalition. His elder siblings are Chamal, Jayanthi and younger siblings were Tudor, Gotabaya, Basil, Preethi, Dudley and Gandini. Retired general Sarath Fonseka, who had commanded the Sri Lankan army in the final battle against the Tigers, emerged as his main opposition. Corrections? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Pushpa Rajapaksa is Mahinda Rajapaksa's sister-in-law, wife of his brother, Basil Rajapaksa, who was also his economic development minister. Rajapaksa had agreed to Chinese terms and was seen as an important ally in China's efforts to tilt influence away from India in South Asia. In April the countrys ministers, including Mahindas brother Basil and son Namal, resigned en masse in an attempt to reshuffle the cabinet and form a unity government, but the move failed to placate the oppositionwhich continued to grow as members of the ruling coalition defectedand Mahindas future as prime minister looked bleak. Other family members involved in politics include his nephew, Shashindra Rajapaksa, the Chief Minister of Uva Province. He was referred as a "King" by some of his supporters, and he used the media to portray himself as a strong man. Meanwhile, Rajapaksa and his supporters in Parliament defected from the ruling party and joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP) party, founded by his brother Basil, and Mahinda formally became leader of the opposition. Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said yesterday that more than 126 SLPP members of Parliament are supporting the current President to continue the current government until the last possible date. [211] Thus, critics have accused Rajapaksa of being narcissistic. [2][3] As their political power grew, there were reports suggesting that the country was heading towards autocracy under their rule. [198] The Rajapaksas have three sons: Namal, Yoshitha, and Rohitha. Rohitha Rajapaksa: Biography, Wife, Age, Education, Wiki, Family, Net Wickremesinghe resigned from the premiership days later, and Mahinda became prime minister in his stead on November 21, 2019. [199], Mahinda Rajapaksa is superstitious; he wears talismans and consults astrologers in his decision-making. [44] Later in July 2022, President Gotabaya fled the country and stepped down. The move comes amid concerns over China's growing influence in Sri Lanka and follows allegations that he abducted and killed teenagers after extorting money from wealthy families. Nationwide protests broke out in March and continued in the weeks ahead. 8 Min Read. [10] One of its members, Don David Rajapaksa, held the feudal post of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale. On 9 August 2020, Rajapaksa was sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time at a Buddhist temple on Colombo's outskirts.