Dudley Senanayake by him such as the Minneriya irrigation project. Contesting in the 1947 general elections from the Dedigama electorate, he was elected to the first parliament of independent Ceylon and was appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Agriculture and Lands by his father, D. S. Senanayake who became the first Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1947. He continued many of the agricultural projects he started in his first year and started the ambitious Gal Oya Project which provided water for the cultivation of over 120,000 acres. He initiated guaranteed price scheme for paddy and farmers. He received the portfolios of
Prime Minister's Security Division guard the Prime Minister's Office and Prime Minister's House ("Temple Trees"), without special training in close protection. This was highlighted when Prime Minister S W R D Bandaranaike was assassinated at his residence by Talduwe Somarama. The need for specialized independent unit was once again highlighted when personal from the internal security detail of the Royal Ceylon Navy, the "Provost Branch" were brought to guard Temple Trees on the night of 27 January 1962 when the attempted military coup by senior police and reservist military officers was due to be launched. Since the 1950s the Ceylon Army had assisted the