<p>Two days after a DMK-led fishermen's delegation met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an association of fishermen headed by a Congress MP today called on him seeking his intervention for release of their counterparts who are languishing in Sri Lankan jails.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The delegation, comprising fishermen from Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram districts in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry, urged the Prime Minister to prevail upon the Lankan government on the issue.<br /><br />"We conveyed and complained about frequent arrest of Indian fishermen by the naval forces of the island nation," K Alagiri, Lok Sabha member representing Cuddalore constituency, told PTI. More than 260 fishermen are imprisoned in Sri Lanka, he added.<br /><br />The Congress MP dismissed any politics behind the meeting with the Prime Minister against the backdrop of the DMK delegation drawing his attention with similar demands a few days back.<br /><br />"There is no politics. It was purely on humanitarian grounds," Alagiri said while adding that the meeting took place after fishermen from Ramanathapuram contacted Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram over their grievances recently.<br /><br />He said the delegation has asked the Prime Minister to impress upon the Tamil Nadu government to convene a meeting between the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka at the earliest to resolve various issues over fishing.<br /><br />Alagiri alleged that efforts for holding talks were being held up for political gains.</p>
<p>Two days after a DMK-led fishermen's delegation met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an association of fishermen headed by a Congress MP today called on him seeking his intervention for release of their counterparts who are languishing in Sri Lankan jails.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The delegation, comprising fishermen from Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram districts in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry, urged the Prime Minister to prevail upon the Lankan government on the issue.<br /><br />"We conveyed and complained about frequent arrest of Indian fishermen by the naval forces of the island nation," K Alagiri, Lok Sabha member representing Cuddalore constituency, told PTI. More than 260 fishermen are imprisoned in Sri Lanka, he added.<br /><br />The Congress MP dismissed any politics behind the meeting with the Prime Minister against the backdrop of the DMK delegation drawing his attention with similar demands a few days back.<br /><br />"There is no politics. It was purely on humanitarian grounds," Alagiri said while adding that the meeting took place after fishermen from Ramanathapuram contacted Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram over their grievances recently.<br /><br />He said the delegation has asked the Prime Minister to impress upon the Tamil Nadu government to convene a meeting between the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka at the earliest to resolve various issues over fishing.<br /><br />Alagiri alleged that efforts for holding talks were being held up for political gains.</p>