[4][5] 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.
[5][6][7] 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.
[2] 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.
[2] 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.
[6][9] LSSP members who opposed the move (Meryl Fernando, Karalasingham, Samarakkody, Bala Tampoe etc.)
[10] 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.
[2][4][11] Karalasingham stood as the LSSP candidate in Uduvil at the 1970 parliamentary election but on was defeated by sitting MP V.
[12] 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.