Chennai, Aug 14:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Thursday evening wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishanka seeking necessary action through diplomatic channels to secure the release of nine Indian fishermen belonging to Ramanathapuram district arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and to retrieve their fishing boat.
In a Demi-Official letter to the EAM, he drew his attention to yet another incident involving the apprehension of nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu, along with their mechanised fishing boat by the SriLankan Navy during the late hours of Wednesday.
Pointing out that this was the second such incident reported in August alone, the Chief Minister said the repeated apprehension of fishermen continues to cause considerable anxiety and a deep sense of insecurity among the fishing community, particularly in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.
As on date, 49 Indian fishermen continue to remain in SriLankan custody, he said and urged Dr Jaishankar to to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan Government through appropriate diplomatic channels and facilitate the early release and safe repatriation of the fishermen, along with the release of their boat.
“Your intervention in this matter would provide much-needed reassurance to the affected families and the fishing community of Tamil Nadu, who remain deeply concerned over the recurrence of such
incidents. I look forward to your urgent intervention in the matter”, Vijay said.
UNI GV
Meanwhilw, a day after adopting a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with the support of main Opposition DMK, Chief Minister Vijay on Thursday evening urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to consider the resolution on the proposed Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies by the Centre and to bring in appropriate Constitutional Amendments permanently freezing the exercise and maintain status quo.
In a Demi-official letter to Modi, the Chief Minister referred to the resolution passed on the issue of proposed delimitation and the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women.
The resolution urged the Union Government to take appropriate Constitutional amendments for a permanent freeze of House of People (Lok Sabha) strength and for the protection of
existing level of parliamentary representation of the States (i.e. the current proportional distribution among the States/Union Territories be maintained), maintenance of House of People (Lok Sabha) and Council of States (Rajya Sabha) ratio (2.2:1) and implementation of 33% women reservation from the ensuing Parliamentary election on the basis of existing 543 strength.
He said the resolution has been passed in the background of the proposed constitutional amendment relating to delimitation and the determination of
the number and distribution of seats in Lok Sabha on the basis of population figures.
Stating that after the Population Census Operation, the Southern States may lose significant number of Parliamentary seats, if the Article 81(2)(a) is applied as had
happened in 1967 when the number of MP seats in Tamil Nadu was reduced from 41 to 39, Vijay said any delimitation based on post-1971 population that alters the existing strength would cause lasting injustice to the Southern states which have efficiently implemented the population control programmes, achieved good economic growth, carried out proper healthcare and public welfare schemes.
The Resolution urges that Total members of the House of People (Lok Sabha) should be made permanent at 543; the existing number of seats in the House of People (Lok Sabha) allocated to the States should be made permanent at the current level, i.e. current distribution of seats among the States must be maintained.
He also said the State Assembly urges the Union Government to ensure that women receive the benefit of one-third seat quota in the upcoming General Elections to the Lok Sabha and the subsequent General
Elections to the Legislative Assemblies and enclosed a copy of the resolution for his kind consideration and bring in necessary Constitutional amendments in this regard.