CHENNAI: A delegation of Sri Lankan Tamil leaders on Thursday met CM MK Stalin in Chennai and placed before him a set of demands concerning the political future and rights of Tamils in the island nation.
The six-member delegation, led by Jaffna MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, told the media that the Anura Dissanayake-led government in Sri Lanka was moving towards drafting a new Constitution and stressed that India should insist on the inclusion of a federal structure instead of the existing unitary system.
They argued that meaningful devolution of powers to the provinces, on the lines of state autonomy in India, was essential to protect the political rights of Tamils in the North and East.
The delegation sought the Tamil Nadu government’s support in exerting pressure on the centre to ensure that federalism formed part of the proposed constitutional framework.The delegation highlighted the long-pending fisher issues, stating that arrests, seizure of boats and occasional firing by Lankan authorities continued to affect fishermen from both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, who organised the meeting, said the CM has assured the delegation that the state would look into the demands.