Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday filed a defamation case against BJP leader Subramanian Swamy for his alleged remarks on the boats seized by Sri Lankan authorities as belonging to Sasikala, close associated of the chief minister.
Subramnian Swamy had alleged that the boats seized by the Sri Lankan authorities belonged to Sasikala and former union minister and senior DMK leader TR Baalu. Taking serious exception to this allegation, Jayalalithaa who has forcefully been articulating action against Sri Lanka on the Tamil fishermen issue, Swamy made these allegations in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he also accused Jayalalithaa of appropriating all his good work on Mullaiperiyar dam issue.
Incidentally, Jayalalithaa was so livid over Swamy's remark in a television interview that it was he who advised Lankan authorities not to release the boats they seized that she wrote a strongly worded letter to Modi over stance of Subramanian Swamy and wondered if it was the official position of his government and the BJP.
"In the last two months, there have been 15 incidents of apprehensions wherein 319 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended along with their 62 fishing boats. Due to the efforts of your Government all the 319 fishermen have been released. Unfortunately the 62 fishing boats continue to be in Sri Lankan custody," she said in her missive sent two days back.
{{/usCountry}}"In the last two months, there have been 15 incidents of apprehensions wherein 319 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended along with their 62 fishing boats. Due to the efforts of your Government all the 319 fishermen have been released. Unfortunately the 62 fishing boats continue to be in Sri Lankan custody," she said in her missive sent two days back.
{{/usCountry}}"It is particularly distressing that a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Dr. Subramanian Swamy has, in a televised media interview on September 1, 2014, stated that it was he who had advised the Sri Lankan Government not to release the boats of the Tamil Nadu fishermen.
This statement of Dr. Subramanian Swamy has given rise to resentment and angst not only amongst the fishermen community but also amongst the entire population of Tamil Nadu," Jayalalithaa said.