The nonchalant attitude of the Union government is the major cause for the plight of fishermen in Tamil Nadu, said Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary R. Mutharasan here on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, he said that the fishermen here have been fishing in the Palk Bay from time immemorial. In 2014, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi (who is now the PM), had promised to bring about a permanent solution. Ten years had gone. The situation had not improved. In reality, the plight of the fishermen and their families had slipped from bad to worse over the years.
In November 2023, when Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited here, within about a few hours, the arrested fishermen from Rameswaram were released after her intervention with the Sri Lankan government. “If diplomatic relations were that effective, the Union government should have got all the mechanised vessels, which were impounded, released without delay. Also, the Centre should have ensured that the fishermen were not harmed or jailed,” he said.
When Sri Lanka was reeling under severe economic crisis and its President had fled the nation, Indian government and Tamil Nadu government offered crores of aid to the people. “That gesture was appreciated by everybody,” he recalled.
There was nothing wrong in helping people, when they were in trouble. However, when Sri Lanka was considered to be a friendly nation by India, why such an indifferent attitude was meted out to the fishermen, especially from Tamil Nadu, Mr Mutharasan wondered and said the issue could be sorted out in no time if the Centre had the willa and took firm action.
Asked to comment on the seizure of huge consignments of drugs in the State, he said that Gujarat was the originating point for entry of such drugs into the country. Hence, it was for the Centre to take action and if it was dealt with an iron hand, it would not surface anywhere, including Tamil Nadu.
The CPI organised a demonstration in which the district functionaries, including members of its fishermen wing, and womenfolk participated in large numbers.
