Chennai, April 8 ,2025
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the state’s repeated demands to resolve the long-standing issue concerning Tamil fishermen.
Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Stalin criticised the Prime Minister for not raising the matter of retrieving Katchatheevu island during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.
The Chief Minister also expressed disappointment over the lack of action from the central government in securing the release of arrested Tamil fishermen and their mechanised fishing boats from Sri Lankan custody.
“This only shows that Tamil Nadu’s demand for retrieving Katchatheevu has been ignored. It does not appear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who went to Sri Lanka, raised the issue of the fishermen’s release either,” Stalin said, calling the Prime Minister’s inaction “regrettable and disappointing.”
Despite the central government’s indifference, Stalin assured the Assembly that the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government would continue to strive for the welfare of the fishermen. He announced a slew of initiatives, including the construction of a fishing harbour at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram.
The Assembly had earlier passed a resolution urging the Union Government to retrieve Katchatheevu island, which was ceded to Sri Lanka through bilateral agreements in 1974 and 1976.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Stalin, emphasised that the retrieval of the island was the only permanent solution to protect the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen and to end their continued suffering due to the actions of the Sri Lankan Navy.
The resolution called on the Centre to review the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement and take immediate steps to regain the island.
It also urged the Prime Minister to engage in talks with the Sri Lankan government to secure the release of all imprisoned fishermen and their boats on a goodwill basis during his official visit to the island nation.
Stalin also pointed out the continued assaults on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, calling it an “unending tragedy.”
He remarked, “The Union government often forgets that fishermen from Tamil Nadu are also Indian fishermen. Before the 2014 Parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Modi had promised that not a single fisherman would be arrested if the BJP came to power. Yet, the arrests and attacks continue.”
The Chief Minister reiterated the state’s demand that the Union government treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves and work towards a permanent solution.
