Stalin writes to MEA on arrest of 37 fishers, EPS slams CM for inaction

Madurai: Chief minister M K Stalin has written to Union minister of external affairs S Jaishankar, requesting him to prevail upon the Sri Lankan govt to stop levying hefty fines on the fishermen and secure the release of all the arrested fishermen and their crafts.
The Sri Lankan navy apprehended an unregistered purse-seine boat named Eswari and two dinghies, which sailed from Poompuhar fishing harbour in Nagapattinam district on Sept 20.The SL navy detained 37 fishermen aboard these vessels on charges of poaching and trespassing into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka on Sept 21, off Point Pedro.
Referring to the incident, Stalin said, "The Sri Lankan courts are levying penalties that are beyond the means of these fishermen."
Strong measures must be taken to prevent the Sri Lankan authorities from apprehending fishermen and their fishing boats, said the CM. "Therefore, I request you to prevail upon the Sri Lankan govt to stop levying hefty fines on the fishermen and provide them with necessary legal assistance. Further, I urge you to secure the release of all the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats as soon as possible," he mentioned.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami came down heavily on Stalin for not pressuring the Union govt enough on the fishermen row. In a social media post on platform X, EPS recalled how Stalin was able to make Union defence minister Rajnath Singh attended the stamp function of his father, and also could get NOC for a Formula car race in a day from the Union govt.
"Stalin is powerful enough to get NOC from the Centre to establish a pen statue inside the sea, but when it comes to fishermen arrests, he writes letters for namesake. The DMK govt can't get a definite action from the Union govt to resolve the fishermen row," he criticised.
EPS questioned where the 40 MPs of the DMK alliance are and demanded Stalin take strong measures to release all the fishermen from Sri Lankan custody.