Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on the issue of arrest of Tamil fishermen. Rahul said in his letter that I am writing to you regarding the arrest of 37 Tamil fishermen and seizure of their boats by the Sri Lankan authorities on September 21, 2024. I request you to please take up this matter with the Sri Lankan authorities and ensure the early release of the fishermen and their boats. It is noteworthy that earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded his intervention to protect Tamil fishermen, besides early release of pending funds for Chennai Metro and integrated education initiatives.
Referring to the plight of Tamil fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, Stalin requested Modi’s personal intervention and said that 191 fishing boats and 145 fishermen had been captured. He demanded a solution to the issue in the India-Sri Lanka Joint Committee meeting to be held in Colombo next month. After meeting Modi, Stalin said that the Prime Minister has assured him to consider all three demands.
Jhansi Rani, wife of Anthony Raj, one of the arrested fishermen, said it has been 35 days, and we do not know about his condition. Through the media we came to know that the bail amount of Rs 42 lakh per person has been imposed. We are not that rich, and we gave a lot of petitions and were promised action, but with no measures in place, we have started a hunger protest. We urge the government to bring back the fishermen without any penalty.
Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi writes to EAM Dr S Jaishankar
“I am writing to you regarding the arrest of 37 Tamil fishermen, and the seizure of their boats by Sri Lankan authorities on September 21, 2024… I request you to kindly take up this matter with the Sri… pic.twitter.com/SeMC4FEXMX
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2024
