I’m not here to do politics: Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner clarifies on meeting with Puducherry fishermen

Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner clarifies his meeting with Puducherry fishermen was a routine visit, not a political event.

Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Southern India in Chennai Ganesanathan Geathiswaran on Sunday (April 5, 2026) rejected claims he took part in a meeting with fishermen hosted by any political party.

Stating that it was a "routine visit" and that the event was not organised by any political party, Mr. Geathiswaran said: "I'm not here to do politics."

Congress Working Committee member Pawan Khera, in a social media post, referred to the meeting reportedly held in the last week of March and contended that that it was a gross violation of 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations, which states that foreign diplomats "have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State".

The Deputy Consul General of Sri Lanka for South India, Mr. Ganesanathan Ketheeswaran, was invited by Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) chief Jose Charles Martin to meet fishermen in the Vaithikuppam area of Puducherry and hear their grievances.The BJP's Puducherry President and… https://t.co/DX68amOxVo

He also pointed out that India and Sri Lanka were signatories of the Convention. Mr. Khera further sought to know if the Election Commission of India will issue a notice to the political party concerned and the BJP for hosting a diplomat in a political event.

Speaking to The Hindu over the phone from Kanniyakumari, Mr. Ganesanathan Geathiswaran said: "From the time I came here [on his official posting in southern India], I have been discussing with fishermen. Many fishermen associations met me in my office in Chennai six months ago. This is my fourth meeting with them." Recalling his meetings with fishermen in various parts of Tamil Nadu, he said he has met with fishermen in Puducherry, Nagapattinam and Kanniyakumari.