Modi ‘let down’ Tamil Nadu fisherfolk during Sri Lanka visit: CM Stalin

Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the Tamil Nadu government’s demand to resolve the issue of fishermen being detained by Colombo during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, PTI reported.

“This only shows that Tamil Nadu’s demand for retrieving Katchatheevu has been ignored,” the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader said in the Assembly. “It does not appear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who went to Sri Lanka, raised the fishermen’s release, too.”

Katchatheevu is a small, uninhabited island in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. Both countries have staked a claim on it since at least 1921.

Modi visited the island nation between April 4 and 6.

Stalin called the situation “regrettable and disappointing”. He also criticised the Union government for “letting down” the state's fisherfolk and pledged to continue working for their welfare.

On Sunday, on his way back from Sri Lanka, Modi said at an event in Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram, that more than 600 fishermen had returned from Colombo over the past year.

“The Government of Bharat stands firmly with fishermen in times of crisis,” Modi said. “Due to the efforts of the Indian government, more than 3,700 fishermen have been brought back safely from Sri Lanka in the last 10 years. Out of these, over 600 fishermen were freed...

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