CHENNAI: Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday expressed shock over the hefty fine slapped by the Sri Lankan court against 35 Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were arrested for reportedly trespassing and poaching in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka, and demanded immediate intervention of the BJP government at the centre to bail them out of the situation.
In a statement posted on his ‘X’ page, EPS said that the Sri Lankan Navy arrested as many as 35 fishermen of Ramanathapuram district. The Lankan court slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 crore on each of them. “This is shocking. The Central government should step in and revoke the penalty on the fishermen and cancel their punishment,” he said.
With a single intention of harassing the fishermen, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested them. Meanwhile, the Centre and State governments were using the fishermen and the Katchatheevu issues for election campaigns.