Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai has accused DMK MPs of adopting double standards regarding the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. He made this claim through a video posted on social media.In the video, DMK MP Kanimozhi can be heard speaking in Parliament about the impact of the Citizenship Amendment Bill on 90,000 Sri Lankan Tamils living in India. She pointed out that many of them have been residing in India for nearly 30 years.
“As of March this year, 19,949 families are living in 103 rehabilitation centers across 29 districts in Tamil Nadu. We donāt call them refugee camps; instead, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has named them rehabilitation centers. This bill does not address the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils who sought refuge in India,” she stated.
Responding to her statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, āKanimozhi mentioned the number of Tamil refugees in India. I, too, am concerned about their welfare. She asked about the governmentās policy on them, and I will clarify. The policy that has been in place since 1986 remains unchanged. The same policy that existed when the UPA government, in which DMK was a part, ruled for ten years is still being followed today. We have not altered even a full stop or comma in that policy. If changes are needed, let them suggest, and we will consider them.ā
Sharing the video, Annamalai criticized the DMK MPs, stating that while they held ministerial positions in the Congress-led UPA government, they took no action to improve the conditions of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu.
“Despite multiple opportunities, they never raised this issue. Now, they are trying to act as if they care. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has exposed their double standards in Parliament,” Annamalai said.