Union minister takes the lead in addressing threats faced by community from the SL navy
Picture used for representational purpose. (Photo: DC/File)
Chennai: The high-volatile fishermen issue, which is also a big vote-generator at poll time, appears to be creeping towards the centre-point in the BJP’s political agenda for Tamil Nadu, going by the many initiatives taken by the saffron party even before the Lok Sabha elections.
Post-poll, the pace has only picked up as evidenced by the large gathering of fishermen’s leaders from six coastal districts at a meeting convened by Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan at state party headquarters, Kamalalayam, on Saturday.
“Unlike in the past, we have a people-friendly government at the Centre. We are keen on solving people’s problems and the fishermen’s issue is right on top of this agenda,” said Mr Radhakrishnan at the end of the ‘fruitful’ session with the fishermen leaders. “I have spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi thrice on this fishermen issue. He too had discussed the subject with me. The BJP is committed to resolving this issue.”
Even as the fishermen meet was on came the news that Sri Lanka had released 94 fishermen, a court there ordered the release following intervention from President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It appeared that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had taken up the issue with the President and got the fishermen’s release. “We are grateful to Radhakrishnan and Sushma Swaraj. We are now hoping they will also get our boats released. There are 63 boats held in Sri Lanka for the last three months,” said Rameswaram fishermen association president N. Devadoss.
He said the fishermen were “mighty impressed” by the gestures and actions of the Union government since the Modi government took charge. “We have a minister here (Radhakrishnan) who says he spoke to the PM about us. And Sushma Swaraj herself spoke to our leader N.J. Bose a couple of days back assuring him she would get our boats released by Sri Lanka. Such things never happened during the previous Congress government in Delhi.”
As the state BJP president, Radhakrishnan had taken the lead in campaigning for the fishermen even before he launched his election campaign for the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat.
Resolving the fishermen’s problems assaults and arrests at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy had been top on his election promises.
And after the victory, he kept his word by pursuing the issue with Ms Swaraj and the Prime Minister as well. Also, a BJP team only last week completed the tour of the coastal districts of Karaikal, Tiruvallur, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam and Thanjavur to elicit the fishermen’s views on possible solutions.
( Source : dc )
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