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 Nalanda College Colombo and Ananda College Colombo 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.[1]He started his political life from the SLFP and later joined Vijaya Kumarathunga to established the SLMP.The dental surgeon was was a voceferous critic of the tooth for tooth policy of JVP and was a prime target during the JVP insurrection.He was critically injured at the Grand Pass election rally conducted to support Ossie Abeygunasekera's presidential election campaign in 1988.[2]He was elected to the Western Provincial Council in 1988 from the USA with which SLMP was in an alliance.He unsuccesfully contested the 1989 General Elections under USA ticket.When Ossie Abeygunasekera,the successer 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 became a bitter critic of Chandrika and joined UNP which appointed him as a national list MP in the Wijethunga government.[3]In 1994 he was elected to the parliament from Kaluthara District under UNP cadidature.He was the fire brand of the opposition benches and played a pivotal role in the debate over Channel-9 scandal.In 1999 the coutrs disqulify him for doing bussiness with the state and was unseated from the parliament [4].However,UNP re-appointed him to the vacancy created by his own unseating.[5] 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 ministrial post in the Rajapakse Government.He topped the list of the Kaluthara District at the 2010 General Elections and was awarded the portfolio of Fishing and Aquatic Resources.
Sri Lankan