DMK chief M Karunanidhi slams Centre, Tamil Nadu government over fishermen issue

CHENNAI: DMK president M Karunanidhi today accused the Centre and state government of "mechanically" handling the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka and demanded "intensive" efforts to solve the decades-old issue.

"No constructive step seems to have been taken (by the Centre and State) to solve the long time problem of fishermen," he said.

Citing the continuous arrests of the state's fishermen, he said, "the Central and State governments are pacifying (people) by mechanically writing letters" and accused them of "eschewing an emotional approach to the endlessly continuing travails of Tamil Nadu fishermen."

"I urge that at least from now on Central and State governments should take constructive and intensive efforts to ensure that Tamil Nadu fishermen are not affected in future," he said in a statement here.

Referring to the arrest of 34 Tamil Nadu fishermen on October 26, he said the fishermen were continuously being targeted.

He flayed Lankan ministers and authorities for speaking in a conciliatory tone while coming to India and taking a contradictory stand when they return to their country over the fishermen issue.

Karunanidhi referred to a reported comment of Sri Lankan Fisheries Director General MCL Fernando that his nation was considering imposing heavy fine on fishermen who cross over to their territory.

However, a Sri Lankan Minister Rauff Hakeem had expressed a different view. The minister had reportedly said while participating in a function in Tamil Nadu that "such views needed not be taken seriously," the DMK chief claimed.