C. Rajadurai

Chelliah Rajadurai (Tamil: செல்லையா இராசதுரை; born 27 July 1927) is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former government minister, Member of Parliament and Mayor of Batticaloa.

Hon. C. Rajadurai JP, UM
செ. இராசதுரை
Minister of Regional Development
Minister of Hindu Religious Affairs
Member of the Ceylonese Parliament for Batticaloa
In office 1956–1989
Preceded by	R. B. Kadramer
1st Mayor of Batticaloa
In office 1967–1968
Succeeded by	J. L. Tissaveerasinghe
Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia
Personal details
Born	(1927-07-27) 27 July 1927
Political party	United National Party
Ethnicity	Sri Lankan Tamil

Rajadurai was born on 27 July 1927.[1] Rajadurai was a journalist and a member of the editorial staff of the Sutantiran weekly newspaper.[2]

Rajadurai stood as the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi's (Federal Party) candidate for Batticaloa at the 1956 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament.[3] He was re-elected at the March 1960, July 1960, 1965 and 1970 parliamentary elections.[4][5][6][7] He was the Tamil United Liberation Front candidate in Batticaloa at the 1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected.[8] In March 1979 he defected to the United National Party led government and was rewarded by being appointed Minister of Regional Development and Hindu Cultural Affairs.[9][10][11] He was later appointed Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[12]

Rajadurai became the first Mayor of Batticaloa in 1967.[13] He was unseated the next year.[13]

See also

• Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats

References

1. "Rajadurai, Chelliah". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
2. Sri Kantha, Sachi. "One Hundred Tamils of the 20th Century: V.Navaratnam". Tamil Nation.
3. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2016.
4. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2015.
5. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-07-20" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2016.
6. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2015.
7. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
8. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
9. Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 27: Horsewhip Amirthalingham". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story.
10. Wickramasinghe, Wimal (15 January 2008). "Saga of crossovers, expulsions, resignations, terminations, death and by-elections in Sri Lanka". The Island (Sri Lanka).
11. Jayawarden, Kishali Pinto (7 April 2002). "That conscience Bill coming again". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
12. "TELO opposes Rajadurai attending Chelva anniversary in Jaffna". TamilNet. 23 April 2012.
13. "History of Municipal Council". Batticaloa Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013.