By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
“Loku Ayya” Tilvin Silva’s 70th Birthday on February 26th.
“Power behind the throne” is a phrase that is generally used to refer to someone who does not hold an official leadership position but is actually one who effectively wields control. The phrase is generally used in the context of politics and/or governance to describe someone who is influentially on par with the official leader in practice and has a great deal of control in decision making. Different countries at different times have had different leaders along with different powers behind the seats of power.
In India for instance Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister and De Jure ruler but it is said that the real power behind the throne is the powerful Home Minister Amit Shah.
Likewise in Sri Lanka the President and leader of the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna(JVP)led National People’s Power(NPP) Government is Anura Kumara Dissanayake. However it is widely believed that the power behind the throne who calls the shots is the JVP General-Secretary Tilvin Silva.
Opposition party members go to the extent of alleging that Tilvin is the De Facto president running the country. 464/20, Pannipitiya Road, Pelawatte, Battaramulla where the JVP headquarters is located has been referred to as the unofficial nerve centre of the JVP led NPP Govt.Recently in Parliament the ITAK Batticaloa MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam remarked in lighter vein that the viewpoints expressed by Tilvin Silva seemed to reflect the Government’s official position in several matters and queried tongue in cheek whether Tilvin Silva was in effect the real President.
Marcus Agrippa
.I recently came across a review of a book titled “The Power Behind the Throne: Marcus Agrippa’s Service, Strategy, and Power”.The book authored by Marcus.L.Gray Phd is about an overlooked figure in Roman History -Marcus Agrippa. The reviewer states thus about Agrippa –
“Marcus Agrippa never ruled Rome. He wore no crown, claimed no permanent throne, and left behind no manifesto. Yet without him, Augustus Caesar’s empire would likely never have endured……….. Agrippas leadership was not loud, charismatic, or self-promotional. It was disciplined, restrained, and relentlessly effective.”
When I read the above excerpt, I was struck by the fact that the lines were quite applicable to Tilvin Silva also in the current Sri Lankan context. The usually soft-spoken Tilvin Silva keeps a low profile and avoids the limelight. He holds no position in the Government,Parliament or any local authority.He is only the Party Gen-secy. Yet he is regarded by some as a parallel centre of power to President Dissanayake. Ambassadors and High Commissioners call on him. Tilvin leads party delegations to foreign countries.
Tilvin was in India last week heading a JVP delegation. Earlier he led a JVP delegation to China. The JVP led NPP Govt has been engaged in a balancing act between India and China since it assumed office. It is interesting to note that President Dissanayake made his first official foreign visit to India and followed it up with a trip to China. In the case of Party boss Tilvin Silva,his first trip after the JVP formed a Govt was to China followed by India now .AKD and Tilvin maintain this balance in sequencing their visits to India and China.
Pelawatte Control
Opposition party representatives have frequently taken pot shots at Tilvin alleging that the Govt is controlled by Pelawatte. The insinuation is that the JVP Gen secy is controlling or running the Govt from the JVP headquarters located at Pelawatte in Battaramulla.. The allegation is that all key decisions are taken by the party gen secy and that the JVP led NPP Government only endorses it like a rubber stamp.
Tilvin has frequently refuted these accusations. His explanation has been that the JVP Politburo and Central Committee meet frequently at the Pelawatte party head office and discuss key issues. There are also joint sessions with the NPP National Executive Committee . President Dissanayake and several other ministers and state ministers participate in these discussions in their capacities of Politburo and Central Committee members. Presidential and Govt decisions are taken separately at the Presidential secretariat and Cabinet secretariat.
In an interview published in the Sunday Times”of 22nd Feb 2026, Tilvin Silva was asked “The common perception is that you, as General Secretary of the JVP, are the real power behind the throne?
Tilvin’s reply was- “ Earlier, the governments were run by one individual. When one became the executive president, he/she acted alone, and others became yes men and followed the leader. We are different. We formed the National People’s Power (NPP), of which the JVP is a part. If we are taking any new decisions, we consult as the NPP and implement these changes. In addition to that, the Cabinet also takes its own decisions. When we take policy decisions, we are mindful of the fact that the NPP is the party that was elected and take collective decisions. One person doesn’t take all decisions and then seek to implement them. Actually, we don’t like the word ‘power’. We all have a responsibility, and we work to fulfil it. There is no invisible force pulling the strings from behind, as some perceive. We follow the Licchavi principles of unity and adherence. We gather frequently and discuss issues together and make decisions as and when the need arises.”
AKD-Tilvin Rift
Rumour mills fuelled by the opposition have been working overtime to spread tales about inner party divisions and an AKD-Tilvin rift. Internal differences and tensions are a fact of life of in any organization or party. As for the JVP it is interesting to note that both the JVP leader AKD as well as the gen secy Tilvin have been residing in the JVP headquarters precincts at Pelawatte. At one point Anura moved out for a while after being elected President. Tilvin Aiya wrote to him saying that party comrades as well as himself(Tilvin)would like Anura to return. So AKD came back to Pelawatte. Nowadays it is said that Anura Kumara stays at the party office during some days of the week while Tilvin resides at the party office nost of the time and goes home once a week.
Seven Years in Jail
The JVP has a six member Politburo and twenty-eight member Central Committee. Tilvin Silva is the senior most member of both the Politburo and Central Committee. Tilvin became a full fledged member of the JVP in 1978 and adopted the nom de guerre Susil. He was the Kalutara district JVP secretary when arrested and jailed in 1987. He spent seven years in prison and was released in late 1994.Tilvin Silva was elected as the JVP General secretary in 1995 and has been holding that post for 31 years.
Tilvin Ayya/Loku Ayya
The be-spectacled Tilvin Silva with his brushy moustache and goatee chin beard is liked, loved, admired and respected by JVP members due to his seniority and amiable disposition. He is called Tilvin Ayya by most JVP/NPP seniors including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya. To many of the younger JVP members Tilvin is “Loku Ayya”.
70th birthday
Tilvin will be celebrating his milepost 70th birthday on February 26th. It is against this backdrop that this column focuses on Tilvin Silva this week. Though I have never met Tilvin Silva personally, I am writing this two-part article relying on information provided by knowledgeable persons along with interviews and speeches given by Tilvin as well as articles about him.
Mullapitiya
Methsiri Tilvin Silva born on February 26th 1956 hails from Mullapitiya in the Beruwela electoral division of Kalutara district. Tilvin’s father was a carpenter by profession. His mother a housewife also wove ropes out of coconut fibre to supplement the family income. Tilvin was the eldest of five children (four boys and a girl).
Tilvin had his primary education at the Kaluwamodera Vidyalaya. The school located at the foot of the famous hill temple Kande Viharaya was known as the “Kandhe Viharaya Pasala” also. His secondary education was at the Aluthgama Maha Vidyalaya a and Beruwela Mangala Pirivena.
Due to the family’s financial difficulties eldest son Tilvin could not pursue studies for the GCE(AL)exam.He quit school and found work at a tourist hotel in the Kalutara district. Later he got a job at a hotel in the Kandy district.
Tilvin’s father known as “Wimaliyas Baaunnehe” was a supporter of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in his younger days. When the Beruwela electorate was first carved out in the March 1960 elections, he supported the LSSP candidate D.Goonewardene who lost. When the July 1960 elections were held, the LSSP entered into a no contest pact wih the Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP). The SLFP canddate was IA Cadert who defeated the United National Party(UNP) incumbent MP Bakeer Markar.
The LSSP aligned with the SLFP in 1964.Tilvin’s father supported IA Cader at the 1965 elections.Cader lost.Bakeer Markar was elected. In the 1970 elections, Silva supported Cader.The United Front comprising the SLFP,LSSP and CP swept to power in a lanslide victory.However Tilvin’s father had a serious disagreement with the Beruwela MP IA Cader and crossed over to the UNP. He became a strong supporter of Bakeer Markar and was appointed as head of the UNP party branch in Mullapiitiya..
Leftist Tendency
Even as his father became a strong UNP supporter, Tilvin began to lean towards the left. Those were days of the cold war between the United States of America(USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR) or Soviet Union. There were many colurful publications in Sinhala promoting communist and Soviet propaganda. Russian literature too was available in Sinhala. Thus Tilvin Silva becae greatly enamoured of the Soviet Union and acquired a leftist tendency.
Refused UNP Govt Job
So great was Tilvin’s adherence to left wing ideology that he developed contempt and hate for the capitalist UNP. After the UNP gained power in 1977, Tilvin’s father who was the Mullapitiya UNP branch leader managed to arrange a Grama Sevaka job for his eldest son through the then Beruwela MP Bakeer Markar. But Tilvin refused adamantly to get a job from the UNP govt. This led to a situation where the father and eldest son were not on speaking terms for many years.
When the first JVP insurgency occurred in 1971 Tilvin was only 15 years old. The then JVP did not have a strong in Kalutara district at that time. So Tilvin was not affected or influenced by the JVP then. However the left-leaning Tilvin’s perception of the JVP began changing after he moved to Kandy as a tourist hotel employee.
Rohana Wijeweera
The ban on the JVP was lifted and imprisoned cadres released in 1977. The JVP began re-establishing itself under Rohana Wijeweera’s leadership.. Tilvin Silva was part of an enraptured audience when Rohana Wijeweera spoke at a JVP rally held in the Kandy Bogambara stadium. Tilvin was captivated by Wijeweera and managed to exchange a few words with the JVP Leader who invited the idealistic young man to join the party.
Tilvin followed up the brief meeting with Wijeweera by attending the famous five lectures of the JVP and a fortnight long educational camp conducted by the party. A firmly convinced Tilvin Silva joined the JVP formally in 1978. In 1979 Tilvin Silva was elevated as a full time Party worker.
Somawansa Amerasinghe
Since Tilvin was from Kalutara,he was assigned to that district. The JVP Kalutara district secretary and Beruwela electorate organizer was Somawansa Amerasinghe. Somwansa too was from Payagala in the Kalutara district. Somawansa took a liking to Tilvin and brought him under his wing.Tilvin was appointed as Kalutara district JVP youth front secretary and made a Kalutara district committee member. He also functioned as a personal assistant to Somwansa Amerasinghe. Tilvin Silva has acknowledged in several interviews that Somwansa Amerasinghe was his mentor and guide in the JVP.
Tilvin Silva worked diligently to build up the JVP in the Kalutara district. It is said that he walked miles and miles going from house to house to meet potential recruits. In !982 Rohana Wijeweera contested the presidential election. Tilvin Silva accompanied Somwansa to several districts engaging in propaganda for Wijeweera. The results were terribly disappointing, Rohana Wijeweera polled only 273,428 (4.19%0votes and came third.
Black July 1983
This disappointment was followed by another shock. After the 1983 July anti-Tamil pogrom, the UNP Govt led by JR Jayewardene falsely blamed three leftist parties for Black July. They were the CP, NSSP and JVP. Subsequently the ban on the Commuist party and Nava Samasamaja party were lifted but not the JVP ban . the JVP that had entered the democratic mainstream was compelled to go underground. There also began a crackdown on the JVP in 1985,
This was a hard,bleak period for the JVP. Many senior cadres and leaders wilted under pressure and dropped out of the movement. Somawansda and his deputy Tilvin were among those who remained steadfast and continued to work for the JVP. Somawansa adopted the names Siri Aiya and Reggie Uncle while Tilvin used the nom de guerre Susil
Kalutara Dist Secy
Despite the adverse circumstances, Tilvin grew in stature within the underground movement. In early 1987 Tilvin Silva known as Susil was appointed as the JVP Kalutara district committee secretary. He was also inducted into the JVP Central committee.
The signing of the Indo-Lanka accord in July 1987 and the presence of the Indian army in the northern and eastern provinces was a watershed in the Island’s history. The JVP launched a violent campaign against the accord. It alse began arming itself clandestinely in a big way. Tilvin too was involved in acquiring an arsenal for the movement.
“Susil and Sujatha”
Meanwhile a romance blossomed. Seetha Ediriweera from Devinuuwara who bore the nom de guerre Sujatha was moved to the Kalutara district by the JVP high command and appointed as full time activist in charge of the District’s women’s league. Gradually both “Susil and Sujatha” fell in love. The happy couple planned to marry in October 1987 when the unexpected happened in September.
Arrested in Wadduwa
Tilvin Silva along with three others were arrested by the Police at Wadduwa near Panadura transporting firearms. They put up no fight. Later Tilvin Silva was to say that they were only collecting the arms then and were not ready to confront the Police. The arrest and consequent detention changed Tilvin Silva’s life. What happened next would be related in detail in the second part of this article
D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
This article appears in the “DBS Jeyaraj Column”of the “Daily Mirror”dated 23rd February 2026.It can be accessed here –
https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Is-JVP-Gen-Sec-Tilvin-the-power-behind-President-Dissanayakes-throne/172-333636
*****************************************************************************