The state government should exert pressure on the Centre to stop the arrest and harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan naval forces, said DMK chief M Karunanidhi said on Tuesday.

"Writing letters to the Prime Minister alone will not stop harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen. The ruling AIADMK has 37 MPs in the Lok Sabha, and the BJP government at the Centre needs their support. Using this opportunity, the state government must exert pressure on the Centre to find a solution to the issue," said Karunanidhi.

He said the chief minister was "cheating" the fishermen by writing letters to the Prime Minister. "When compared to India, Sri Lanka is a small nation and if India has a will to find a solution, it can do so," he said.

The central government should earnestly try to find a solution to the problem without any further delay, the DMK chief said.

(Times of India)