Basil appointed SLFP National Organiser
The SLFP Central Committee last night decided to appoint Economic
Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa as the party’s National Organiser.
The unanimous decision was taken at the central committee meeting
held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees.
The post of National Organizer fell vacant following the death of
former Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte.
A senior party member and a leading figure in the party, Minister
Basil Rajapaksa
entered politics in the 1970s and was for sometime the President of
the SLFP Youth Federation and an assistant secretary of the party.
He became an MP for the first time after winning a seat in the 13th
Parliament.
In the April 2010 General Election his was a record victory of
425,861 votes having contested from the Gampaha District. It was the
highest number of votes received by a candidate in that election.
He is a past pupil of Ananda College, Colombo and a son of former
Agricultural and Lands Minister DA Rajapaksa. A father of three,
Minister Basil Rajapaksa is married to Pushpa Rajapaksa who is a lawyer.
He is also a senior advisor to the President and an expert on
diplomatic relations.
Minister Basil Rajapkasa directed the SLFP’s Presidential Election
campaigns of 2005 and 2010. As the SLFP leader of Gampaha District he
has been the pioneer of progress in the area where he opened new avenues
of development through a five year plan by identifying and utilizing the
district’s resources.
He established a fully-equipped SLFP Secretarial Office outside
Colombo for the first time, thus providing an immense service to SLFP
party members and the public.
Minister Rajapaksa has given leadership to a number of massive
development programmes including Uthuru Vasanthaya for the North,
Negenahira Nawodaya for the East and Divi Neguma under President Mahinda
Rajapaksa’s guidance.
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