PMK wants Centre to rein in Sri Lanka on fishermen issue

CHENNAI: NDA ally PMK today said Sri Lanka was treating India 'badly' on the issue of arrest of Indian fishermen and called for strong steps to rein in Colombo.

Party founder S Ramadoss said the latest incident of arrest had happened on Tuesday, on a day when Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in India for a personal visit even as Parliament was discussing the fishermen issue with the government responding to it.

"These are examples of how badly Sri Lanka treats India on the fishermen issue," he said in a statement.

The Rajapaksa government "should be taught a lesson" it can never forget in this matter, he said but took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for wishing a third Presidential term for the Lankan leader.

He also faulted the state government in its approach in the matter, saying both Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his predecessor Jayalalithaa confined themselves to just writing letters and urged the former to personally take up the matter with Central government if it failed to warn Sri Lanka.

He said India should adopt 'shock treatment' tactics followed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Chief Minister of the state, M G Ramachandran, but did not elaborate.