A delegation of National Fishworkers' Forum led by chairperson M Ilango called on senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy at his Chennai residence on Saturday and submitted a seven-page memorandum listing their grievances.
The memorandum is signed by Thomas Kocherry, a priest cum fishermen activist and six other leaders of the NFF. Though the representation is in the form of a list of their long pending demands including the formation of separate Ministry of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, the delegation told Dr Swamy that their immediate concern is the hundreds of fishermen from Tamil Nadu incarcerated in Sri lankan jails for trespassing into the Sri lankan side of the IMBl.
They wanted Swamy to exert pressure on the UPA Government and immediately stop the Sethu Samudram Canal Project. "This canal would destroy the livelihood of five lakh fishermen of six coastal districts in Tamil Nadu. The project will also affect the environment and lives of rare species found in the sea," said the representation.
The BJP leader is visiting Sri lanka in January 2014 on an invitation from that Government. It is believed that he would take up this issue with the Government authorities including President Mahenda Rajapakse during the visit.