‘Give us a Rajya Sabha seat,’ Tamil Nadu fishermen urge political parties

MADURAI: Stating that they don't have any political voice when they are harassed by the Sri Lankan navy, Rameswaram fishermen on Monday urged all political parties in Tamil Nadu to provide a seat to the community in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Fishermen leaders in Rameswaram, who assembled at Susaiappar Church in Thangachimadam in the presence of their community leader S Samson, stated that six Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu are vacated and the election for the same will be held on June 10.
They said Tamil Nadu had had more than 600 Lok Sabha members and 280 Rajya Sabha members since Independence. But the fishermen community had had only two representatives so far -- one each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
If someone from the community were in the parliament, he or she would raise the plight of fishermen, they said.
More than 100 fishing vessels from Tamil Nadu have been impounded by Sri Lanka. These boats are rotting at various fishing jetties in the Island nation. The state and central government should take measures to redeem their crafts without delay, they said.
Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association president P Jesuraja said they would observe a hunger strike in Thangachimadam on May 20 and 21 to press for their demands.