BJP concerns over Lankan Tamil issue

Muralidhar Rao, national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned on the issues faced by Lankan Tamils. “Strengthening the party base in the southern State is important for us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been paying special attention for the welfare of Tamils both in India and in Sri Lanka,” he said while talking to reporters on Tuesday. Detailing the one-year-achievement of BJP government, Rao said that during this period, Modi paid special attention to issues concerning Tamils. “He was the first PM to visit Jaffna in Northern Lanka. The Prime Minister made efforts personally for the release of five Tamil Nadu fishermen who faced capital punishment in the island nation,” he said and added that the government was making consistent efforts to resolve the fishermen row with Lanka. “Special attention was being paid to spread the glory of Tamil language and celebrating greatness of Tiruvalluvar across the country was a testimony to this.” When asked about citizenship status to Lankan Tamils like in the case of Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh, Rao said both were two different issues. In the case of Bangladesh Hindus, they were suppressed of their religious and human rights. But in Lanka, the BJP government was duty bound to get political rights for Tamils there. (The New Indian Express)