Strongly criticising the ongoing joint Naval exercise by India and Sri Lanka, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on Tuesday demanded that it be called off keeping in mind the sentiments of people of Tamil Nadu that there should not be any ties with the island nation.
"The Sri Lankan Navy has always worked against Indian interest. After the Katchatheevu agreement in 1974, so far 540 Indian fishermen have been killed by the Lankan Navy," PMK founder S. Ramadoss alleged in a statement in Chennai.
Claiming that there was a unanimous view in Tamil Nadu that there should not be any ties with Sri Lanka, he said the Indian Navy working on joint exercises with the Sri Lankan Navy was not a correct step.
"The people of Tamil Nadu are feeling whether the joint exercise is a gift given by India to Sri Lanka for the killing of Tamil fishermen," Ramadoss said.
The joint exercise began yesterday in the eastern seas off Trincomalee in Sri Lankan to enhance interoperability of the two navies. Asian Tribune