CHENNAI: Extending a helping hand to Sri Lankan migrants in camps across the state, BJP MP Tarun Vijay promised that steps were being taken to address the refugees’ grievances.
Representatives from the Puzhal and Gummidipoondi refugee camps met the MP at a city hotel on Friday and conveyed their needs. “Our primary concern is citizenship. We have been living here for close to three decades now,” Dharmalingam from the Puzhal camp told Express and added, “We also requested the MP to ease the documentation process and help us get a ship for those who are willing to return to Lanka.”
The MP, while promising action, flayed the Congress for the present state of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India. “The governments under the Congress turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the migrants. After the BJP came to power, ties between India and the island nation improved and the government is committed to ensure a speedy resolution,” the BJP MP said, adding that the grievances would be forwarded to the External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj.
Officials from the Sri Lankan government had already visited the refugee camps at Puzhal and Gummidipoondi and efforts were taken by India to improve the quality of life in the camps, the MP added.