Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 18 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson T K S Elangovan on Wednesday backed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking clarity on granting Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils residing in the state.

Speaking to ANI, Elangovan said the issue has historical and legal dimensions, recalling the 1964 Sirima-Shastri Agreement signed between India and Sri Lanka during the tenure of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Under the pact, a section of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka were to be repatriated to India and granted citizenship.

However, he noted that after the 1983 crisis in Sri Lanka, India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Protocol, which has complicated the formal legal framework for granting refugee status.

'I spoke in the Parliament about this. There is an agreement, the Sirima-Shastri Agreement, which was signed way back in 1964, when Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Prime Minister, stating that the people who had gone to Sri Lanka from India have to be taken back to India. After the 1983 trouble, many of the Sri Lankan citizens had come to India as refugees. The problem here is that we were not signatory to the Refugee Protocol signed by various world countries by the UN. So, we could not take it. But that apart, we need not sign any pact; here, the government has to decide,' he told ANI.

Drawing a comparison with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Elangovan questioned why Sri Lankan Tamils could not be extended similar benefits.

'When the government brought in legislation that people from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Hindus from all these countries can become citizens of India, why can't the Tamils from Sri Lanka be taken as citizens of India? That is our question. That is what our leader had asked,' he added.

On Sunday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide citizenship pathways and long-term visa relief for Sri Lankan Tamils who have been residing in the state for decades.

In a post on X, Stalin appealed for a 'humane legal solution' for the Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu, stating that many of them had arrived in India with the approval of the Government of India and should not be treated as illegal immigrants.

'Hon'ble @PMOIndia Thiru. @Narendra Modi, please provide a humane legal solution for Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu for decades by enabling citizenship pathways, granting long-term visa relief, and removing administrative barriers that keep them in legal uncertainty,' Stalin wrote.

He further claimed that 40 per cent of these Sri Lankan Tamils were 'born on our soil' and asked for the Government of India's support in providing citizenship to them.

'Honourable Prime Minister, Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu came here with the support and approval of the Government of India. They have been living on Indian soil for over 30 years. Furthermore, 40% of them were born on our soil!' the CM wrote in the post.

'Therefore, they should not be considered illegal immigrants. The Government of India must come forward to provide legal solutions, including citizenship, for them,' he added.

The CM further noted his requests to the Union Government in this regard. He asked for the rescission of earlier administrative instructions, the waiver of passport and visa requirements, the delegation of powers to district-level authorities, and formal clarification regarding registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals sheltered in India up to 9 January 2015.

'I request the Union Government to consider: Rescinding earlier administrative instructions that bar consideration of citizenship applications from Sri Lankan Tamils, Issuing an executive clarification waiving passport and visa requirements, where appropriate, for the purpose of citizenship or long-term visa applications, based on verified identity documentation issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu, Delegating appropriate powers to designated district-level authorities for streamlined processing, Formally clarifying the legal status of registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals sheltered in India up to 9 January 2015,' the CM requested the Prime Minister. (ANI)