CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate Indian citizenship for eligible Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country, as well as to provide long-term legal clarity for their stay here.
Describing the issue as one of humanitarian and constitutional importance, he expressed confidence that the union government would take a favourable decision.
The CM, in his letter to the PM, underscored the need to provide a durable legal solution, including Indian citizenship for eligible persons, to nearly 89,000 Lankan Tamils residing in the state for over four decades.
He sought the removal of administrative barriers, clarification that registered refugees should not be treated as “illegal migrants”, and streamlining the citizenship process and long-term visa applications.
Lankan Tamils have been living in India, predominantly in Tamil Nadu, since 1983, after fleeing ethnic conflict. Nearly 40% of them were born in India, and many have lived there for over 30 years. Despite sustained humanitarian support from successive state governments with the concurrence of the union government, many continue to face prolonged legal uncertainty, the CM pointed out.
He said an advisory committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government examined their status and found that several categories are eligible for regularisation under existing legal provisions.
These include individuals born in India before June 30, 1987; individuals born to one Indian parent; spouses of Indian citizens; Persons of Indian Origin with lineage documentation; and those otherwise eligible for long-term visas. Pointing out that the 2003 amendment to the Citizenship Act, which introduced the category of “illegal migrant”, had adversely affected refugees who entered India under extraordinary humanitarian circumstances, the chief minister said the administrative instructions issued in 1986 restricted the acceptance of citizenship applications from this community.
Stalin also requested the PM to rescind restrictive instructions, issue executive clarifications waiving passport and visa requirements where appropriate, delegate processing powers to district-level authorities, and formally clarify the legal status of registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who have taken shelter in India up to January 9, 2015.