With just two months to go for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a “humane and pragmatic” resolution to the long-pending citizenship issue and legal status of Sri Lankan Tamils living in the state for over four decades.

In his letter on Sunday, Stalin described the issue as one of “profound humanitarian, constitutional and national importance,” noting that around 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils continue to reside in Tamil Nadu, both inside refugee camps and outside. Nearly 40 per cent of them were born in India, and many have lived here for over 30 years.

The Chief Minister pointed out that since 1983, successive Tamil Nadu governments, with the concurrence of the Union Government, have provided shelter, education and healthcare to those who fled ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. However, many continue to lack access to citizenship or long-term visa status.

Referring to recommendations of a State Advisory Committee, Stalin urged the Centre to rescind earlier administrative instructions that bar consideration of citizenship applications, waive passport and visa requirements where appropriate, delegate powers to district-level authorities for faster processing, and formally clarify that registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals sheltered up to January 9, 2015, should not be treated as “illegal migrants.”

The issue had also figured in Parliament last year during discussions on the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that the DMK had never taken up the refugees’ issue with him. The claim was denied by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who cited details of letters sent by the Tamil Nadu government on the matter.

Politically, the letter comes at a time when the ruling DMK is foregrounding Tamil language, identity and heritage as key campaign themes against the BJP-led Centre. By pressing for citizenship and legal clarity for Sri Lankan Tamils, the DMK is seeking to consolidate pro-Tamil voters and sympathisers of Lankan refugees.

Despite their prolonged stay, only 11 Sri Lankan refugees have so far been granted Indian citizenship. Of them, just one has secured voting rights, while the remaining ten have applied for inclusion in the electoral rolls, highlighting the limited progress in regularising their status.

The move also mounts pressure on the BJP at the Centre and its ally, the AIADMK, over what the DMK terms as the lack of concrete steps to resolve the decades-old issue.

In his letter, Stalin said those who sought refuge in India had lived “with dignity, discipline and deep cultural affinity” for over four decades and urged the Prime Minister to take a favourable decision on humanitarian grounds.

Source: NDTV
--Agencies