Salman to take up fishers issue in Sri Lanka
Salman Khurshid
Chennai: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will visit Sri Lanka on October 7 to hold discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and senior officials there on halting the recurring attacks and arrests of Indian fishermen.
He would also raise the issue of freeing the arrested fishermen besides handing over their boats and nets belonging to them. Announcing Khurshid’s visit, Union minister of state in PMO V. Narayanasamy told reporters here on Thursday that the discussions with Lanka would pave way for a permanent solution. “The fishermen along with their properties would return home soon,” he said.
On the decision to withdraw the ordinance on convicted lawmakers, Narayanasamy said the Cabinet had decided to withdraw the ordinance only after hearing the views of those in the government and the Congress party.
“There were multiple views on the issue and once they were discussed, a final stand on the ordinance has been taken,” he said. The minister said no alliance partner had left the UPA over the issue, as they were not disappointed with the stand of the Congress.
On the Raghuram Rajan report for “Evolving a Composite Development Index of States”, he said Tamil Nadu was a developed state and focus was being given to less developed states.
To a query on the opposition in Tamil Nadu against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled in Colombo next month, he said, “the Prime Minister will take a call on that.”-Fri, 2013-10-04
