DrNambukara Helambage Rajitha Harischandra Senaratne (born 29 May 1950) (known as Rajitha Senaratne) MP is the Sri Lanka's Cabinet Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and a Member of Parliament representing the Kalutara District.
He completed his primary education at Ananda College Colombo and Nalanda College, Colombo[1] and entered the Faculty of Dental Science, University of Peradeniya. Graduating from Peradeniya in 1974 he became a dental practitioner in the state sector and was soon appointed as the secretory to the Government Dental Surgeons Assosiation (GDSA)the trade union of the dental surgeons that had many battles with the Jayawardena Government over the Private Medical College issue.[2] He started his political life from the SLFP and later joined Vijaya Kumarathunga to established the SLMP. The dental surgeon was a vociferous critic of the tooth for tooth policy of JVP and was a prime target during the JVP insurrection. He was critically injured in a blast at the Grand Pass election rally conducted to support Ossie Abeygunasekera's presidential election campaign in 1988. Two pieces of shrapnel still remain inside his skull.[3]He was elected to the Western Provincial Council in 1988 from the USA with which SLMP was in an alliance. He unsuccessfully contested the 1989 General Elections under USA ticket. When Ossie Abeygunasekera,the successor of Vijaya to the SLMP leadership, started to gravitate towards the Premadasa Regimn,Rajitha broke away from SLMP and formed Bahujana Nidahas Peramuna (BNP)which would shelter Chandrika Kumarathunga when she return to Sri Lanka in few years time. Later Rajitha later joined UNP which appointed him as a national list MP in the Wijethunga government and became a bitter critic of Chandrika.[4] In 1994 he was elected to the parliament from Kaluthara District under UNP cadidature. He was the fire brand of the opposition benches from 1994 to 1999 and played a pivotal role in the debate over Channel-9 scandal. He openly challenged the self declared education qualifications of Chandika. In 1999 the courts disqualified him from doing business with the state and was unseated from the parliament.[5] However,UNP re-appointed him to the vacancy created by his own unseating.[6] He was re-elected at the 2000 General elections and secured his seat at every election held thereafter.
In 2007 he crossed over to the UPFA ruling government and held an important cabinet ministerial post in the Rajapakse Government. He topped the list of the Kaluthara District at many elections but was dragged down to the second slot at the 2010 General Elections by Kumara Welgama. He was awarded the portfolio of Fishing and Aquatic Resources in the cabinet.
Sri Lankan