Chennai/New Delhi, July 20 (HS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has written a long letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in view of the visit of Sri Lankan President to India. In this, raising many local and national issues between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, he said that the Prime Minister should include these topics in his talks and find a solution. It is notable that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is on a state visit to India on 21 and 22 July.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has said that the Sri Lankan President is visiting India for the first time after assuming office. Due to economic and cultural ties as well as geographical proximity between India and Sri Lanka, many issues related to Tamil Nadu have been pending for a long time. Chief among these is the re-possession of Kachchatheevu Island as well as protection of the traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen. At the same time it is a matter of importance to address the genuine aspirations of the Tamil speaking people in Sri Lanka and to ensure their rights and freedoms.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has urged the Prime Minister to take up both these matters of importance with the President of Sri Lanka. It is noteworthy that Kachchatheevu Island used to be a part of India at one time. In 1974, the Government of India gave it to Sri Lanka under an agreement. Since then political parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding its withdrawal and several resolutions have been passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in this regard. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu says that this is affecting the interest of the fishermen of his state. Apart from this, Stalin has urged Prime Minister Modi to take up the issue of fishermen’s boat seized by Sri Lankan security forces, convening and effecting a meeting of the Joint Working Group and safeguarding the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
