Tamil Nadu - Ramanathapuram   

“Send all-party delegation for forcing Centre to solve fishermen issue”

RAMANATHAPURAM: The Pattali Makkal Katchi has demanded the State Government to send an all-party delegation to New Delhi to pressurise the Central Government to find a solution to the quarter-century-old fishermen issue.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, its founder president, S. Ramadoss, said the delegation should not return to Chennai until an acceptable solution was found.

He said issuing a “firm warning” by the Ministry of External Affairs to Sri Lanka was good enough to stop firing against innocent fishermen.

“Sending a letter to the Prime Minister will not solve the problem. Why can’t the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who claimed to be the guiding force of the Central Government, guide it to find a solution to the long-pending issue?”

Dr. Ramadoss said all political parties in the State had been demanding that Kachchatheevu should be retrieved so that the fishermen could regain fishing rights.

Expressing solidarity over the striking fishermen of Rameswaram, he said his party would support the agitation.

Asked about the arrest of two leaders of PMK over burning a State-owned bus at Tirupur, he said he had given clear instructions to the party cadres not to resort to violence for any reason.

To a question, Dr. Ramadoss said the UPA Government would complete its full term in office.

There was no problem for the PMK to continue in the alliance led by the Congress.

Asked whether the opposition leaders particularly AIADMK chief Jayalalitha contacted him after the exit from the DMK alliance, he said no one had contacted him.

He said the PMK would approach the Supreme Court against the State Government for running IMFL shops, which had wiped out the poor and middle class people money.

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