Senior Congress leader V. Narayanasamy on Saturday said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take urgent action to release five Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were sentenced to death by a court in Sri Lanka.

Flaying the “lackadaisical” attitude of the Union government towards the plight of fishermen, the former Union Minister of State said there was protection to fishermen during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government whereas the Modi government failed to protect Tamil fishermen.

The death sentence had caused shock and anguish among the people of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, he said.

Capturing of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy was all too frequent. The UPA government had taken prompt action and secured the release of several fishermen from captivity. However, after Mr. Modi took charge, around 500 fishermen and their boats were taken by the Sri Lankan Navy. There were still at least 78 fishermen languishing in Sri Lankan prisons and not even a single boat had been released. Now the five youth were sentenced to death based on foisted cases, he pointed out.

“The Modi government, which claims to have cordial relationship with Sri Lankan government, has failed to take any action. In spite of opposition by political parties in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan Naval Chief called on Defence Minister Arun Jaitley three days ago and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa,” Mr. Narayanasamy alleged.

Landslip

Stating that around 150 Tamils were feared dead in the recent landslip in Sri Lanka, Mr. Narayanasamy urged the Union government to pressure the Sri Lankan government to take immediate rehabilitation measures. – The Hindu