Opposition MPs on Friday held a protest in the Parliament complex against Sri Lanka continuing to arrest Indian fisherfolk, and demanded that the government find a permanent solution to the issue.
The protest was led by DMK, Congress and Left party MPs from Tamil Nadu and joined by parliamentarians from several other opposition parties, including Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML) Liberation.
Some DMK members raised slogans in the Lok Sabha soon after Question Hour to register their protest. After the Chair allowed her to speak on the matter, party MP Kanimozhi claimed fishermen from the state are being harassed and arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities and more than 97 of them are lodged in jails of the neighbouring country. She claimed that the fishermen are shot at and tortured, and over 210 fishing boats have been seized by Sri Lanka, impacting their livelihood.
Meanwhile, protesting MPs held up placards with slogans that read "Justice For Tamil Fisherman", "Bring Back Our Fishermen", "No More Arrests", and "Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians".
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the matter of Tamil fisherfolk's arrest was a national issue as they were Indians being mistreated by Sri Lanka.
Kanimozhi said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar several times on the matter, urging them to find a permanent solution. Congress MP Manickam Tagore also demanded the Centre intervene in the matter and engage with the Sri Lankan government.
