Congress accuses the BJP of not taking up fishermen issue with Sri Lanka

The Union government has miserably failed to take up the cause of fishermen from Tamil Nadu with the Sri Lankan government, said All India Fishermen wing of the Congress at Pamban here on Saturday

The Union government has miserably failed to take up the cause of fishermen from Tamil Nadu with the Sri Lankan government, said All India Fishermen wing of the Congress at Pamban here on Saturday.

Staging a demonstration in support of fishermen here, the Congress functionaries, led by Armstrong Fernando, president of the All India Fishermen wing of the party, said the lackadaisical attitude of the BJP was the sole reason for the arrest of fishermen along the Palk Bay.

When the BJP leaders made tall claims of protecting fishermen, in reality it was false and misleading which the people should understand, he said and added that Sri Lankan government not only arrested Tamil Nadu fishermen on charge of poaching, but also impounded their boats.

After undergoing jail term for months, they were let out on bail by Sri Lankan courts while they never returned the boats. Instead, the Sri Lankan authorities declared them as nationalised, thus resulting in a huge loss to fisherfolk.

The livelihood of fishermen had turned from bad to worse over the decade and hence the BJP government should wake up at least now and take it up with the Sri Lankan government.

Mr. Armstrong told reporters that from time immemorial, fishermen were fishing along the Palk Bay and it was not fair on the part of Sri Lankan Navy to arrest them and seize their belongings.

“If this government doesn’t come to the rescue of fishermen, after the Lok Sabha polls, the INDIA alliance government would step in and AICC leader Rahul Gandhi would certainly help the fisherfolk,” he added.