Jaya silent on Tamil fishermen issue: Karunanidhi

Chennai, Jun 19 (PTI) DMK chief M Karunanidhi today charged the Jayalalithaa government with remaining a "mute spectator" to Sri Lankan naval personnel reportedly chasing away Tamil Nadu fishermen in the high seas. "It is condemnable...despite the Sri Lankan Navy chasing away the fishermen, they (state government) have not opened their mouth. Those who criticised our party's rule have now become mute spectators," he said to reporters' queries on a recent incident reportedly involving the island nation's navy. The DMK patriarch said "atrocities" by the Lankan Navy had not stopped despite DMK's repeated requests to the Centre and talks on mutiple occasions over the fishermen's issue. "If it had happened during DMK rule, AIADMK would have raised questions like: Is there a Centre? What are they doing? Why have they not resigned?" he said. Sri Lankan naval personnel on June 17 allegedly threatened fishermen from Rameswaram at gunpoint near Katchatheevu and took away their catch, officials had said. PTI DSJ APR SMI