1 week Ago
Chennai: TVK leader Vijay on Friday said that acquiring Katchatheevu on a 99-year lease is the only way to guarantee the safety of fishermen until a permanent solution is reached. He called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to negotiate this agreement with the Sri Lankan govt during his three-day visit to the island nation. Squarely blaming the DMK for the ceding of the islet in 1974, Vijay accused the party of ignoring the issue when it had influence over Union governments between 1999 and 2014 and passing a govt resolution as an eyewash.
He claimed that over 800 fishermen died due to attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy and accused the Union govt of showing bias by protecting fishermen from states such as Gujarat, while neglecting those from TN. "The PM should prioritise Katchatheevu as India's rightful land during his visit to Lanka and hold talks in a manner that would alleviate the suffering of Tamil Nadu's fishermen. His visit should pave the way for reconciliation between fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Lankan Tamils," he said.
The TVK leader called for a referendum on the future of Sri Lankan Tamils and urged Modi to condemn war crimes and pressure the Sri Lankan govt to hold a referendum..
