Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jalayalithaa urging her to take immediate steps to check attacks on Malayalis living in different parts of Tamil Nadu.
In a letter to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, released for publication here on Sunday, Mr. Chandy also requested Ms. Jayalalithaa to join him in issuing a public appeal calling for peace and restraint and promising protection to the people of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Terming reports about several instances of attacks on Malayalis in Tamil Nadu ‘highly disturbing', he urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to take immediate action to bring the situation under control, ensure safety of Malayalis and take stringent action against those involved in such illegal acts.
The Chief Minister said it was unfortunate that the Mullaperiyar issue should spill over into events affecting peace and harmony among the people of the two States. “We have always valued the excellent cooperation and goodwill between our two States. The Government of Kerala has already taken all possible steps to ensure that Tamil residents in Kerala and visitors from Tamil Nadu are safe in the State. All political parties in the State have appealed for restraint. This is a situation where we have to urgently provide a sense of protection and confidence to our people. I am sure you will act immediately and firmly to contain the situation. I am willing to issue a joint statement with you and I look forward to your response and positive action,” Mr. Chandy said.
Pointing out that a large number of students from Kerala were studying in various institutions in Tamil Nadu and lakhs of people were employed in the organised and unorganised sector in the State, Mr. Chandy said their families in Kerala were in a state of anxiety and urged Ms. Jayalalithaa to issue an appeal to the people of Tamil Nadu not to allow passions to go out of control. The Kerala government, he said, had strengthened police presence at Kumily and other sensitive areas to ensure that labourers and women from Tamil Nadu were safe in Kerala. Although a large number of Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu had been visiting Sabarimala, there had been no untoward instance so far. On the other hand, pilgrims were happy about the conduct of the people and the police who had been extending all possible help to the pilgrims, he added.
The Chief Minister regretted the widespread misinformation campaign in sections of the Tamil Nadu media and said that several false reports were making their rounds. A report about Tamil labourers fleeing Kerala and a camp being opened for them in Theni was one such case of misinformation. Tamil labourers work in Kerala in large numbers, particularly in the plantation sector, and their contribution to Kerala's economy was valuable. Other false stories about women labourers being molested were also being circulated to inflame passion among the people of Tamil Nadu.
“The sense of insecurity that (such) false information could spread needs to be curbed urgently. Certain sections of the media in Tamil Nadu are whipping up passions by repeatedly projecting totally irrelevant and misleading images. I request you to kindly intervene and take possible corrective action to prevent the propagation of such calculated misinformation,” Mr. Chandy said.
