MDMK Chief Vaiko, an ally of the ruling NDA at the Centre, has blamed the Narendra Modi government for the death sentence awarded to five Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu in Sri Lanka. The fishermen, who are from a village in Rameswaram, had been arrested in 2011 on charges of carrying drugs into Sri Lanka.

“It’s the red-carpet reception by the central government that has emboldened the Rajapaksa Government... they want to bully our fishermen,” said Mr Vaiko, who will lead a protest in Chennai on November 4 against the death penalty handed out to the fishermen. The Prime Minister, the 70-year-old leader said, should intervene strongly through diplomatic channels to secure the release of the convicted Indians.

Political parties in the state have accused the Centre of doing little. In a letter to the PM, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had raised apprehensions over whether the fishermen had received a fair trial.

“It’s a fabricated case. The case was heard at the Jaffna court. But the chargesheet was filed in Colombo High Court, killing justice,” Mr Vaiko said, alleging that the judges were President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s “henchmen”.

The arrest of fishermen has long been an issue in Tamil Nadu. The sentence comes at a time when the state is demanding the return of Katchatheevu, an island India had gifted to Sri Lanka in the early 70s. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has filed a petition in the Supreme Court in this regard.

Some headway was made on the arrests during the visit of President Rajapaksa in May for the swearing-in of PM Modi. A month later, Ms Jayalalithaa, who had boycotted the swearing-in to protest the invitation to Mr Rajapaksa, wrote to the Prime Minister, asking him to make the issue a priority.

Mr Rajapaksa ordered the release of a few hundred fishermen arrested for trespass. But those accused of drug peddling were not allowed to go. - NDTV