Tamil Nadu Congress Committee wants to know on what capacity Swamy went to Lanka

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President BS Gnanadesikan today asked the Centre to clarify in what capacity did BJP leader Subramanian Swamy visit Sri Lanka recently.

While welcoming dialogue with Sri Lanka to facilitate the post war rehabilitation and resettlement of Tamils there, the TNC chief wondered on what capacity the BJP leader had called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksha recently.

"The Central government must clarify. On what capacity did Subramanian Swamy go to Sri Lanka ? What is his status?," he said.

Gnanadesikan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter Sathyamurthi and Congress leader GK Moopanar at the party headquarters here.

Referring to the alleged arrest of five fishermen by Sri Lanka on "false" charges of possession of ganja, he said, when his party was in power at the Centre, such issues were taken up vigorously with the Rajapaksa regime and fishermen's release was facilitated.

"The NDA government should continue our work and get the innocent fishermen released," the chief said.

Last month, Chairman, BJP Committee for Strategic Action, Subramanian Swamy, during his visit to Sri Lanka, had said "India would be far more supportive of Sri Lanka's position at the United Nations Human Rights Council than ever before."

It had led to criticism from certain quarters in Tamil Nadu.