Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Feb 16: With just two months left for the Assembly elections, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a “humane and pragmatic” resolution to the long-pending citizenship and legal status issues of Sri Lankan Tamils residing in the state for over four decades.
In his letter dated Sunday, Stalin described the matter as one of “profound humanitarian, constitutional and national importance.” He noted that around 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils continue to live in Tamil Nadu, both inside refugee camps and outside, with nearly 40 per cent born in India and many having stayed in the country for over 30 years.
The Chief Minister pointed out that since 1983, successive state governments, with the concurrence of the Union government, have provided shelter, education and healthcare to those who fled ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. However, a large number of them continue to lack citizenship or long-term visa status.
Citing recommendations of a State Advisory Committee, Stalin urged the Centre to withdraw earlier administrative instructions that bar consideration of citizenship applications, waive passport and visa requirements wherever appropriate, delegate powers to district-level authorities for faster processing, and clarify that registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals sheltered up to January 9, 2015, should not be treated as “illegal migrants.”
The issue was raised in Parliament last year during discussions on the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had never taken up the matter with him. The claim was rejected by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who cited letters sent by the Tamil Nadu government on the issue.
Politically, the letter comes at a time when the DMK is foregrounding Tamil language, identity and heritage as key campaign themes against the BJP-led Centre. By pressing for citizenship and legal clarity for Sri Lankan Tamils, the ruling party is seeking to consolidate pro-Tamil voters and sympathisers of Lankan refugees.
Despite their prolonged stay in India, only 11 Sri Lankan refugees have so far been granted Indian citizenship. Of them, just one has secured voting rights, while the remaining ten have applied for inclusion in the electoral rolls, underlining the slow pace of regularisation.
The move is also seen as mounting pressure on the BJP at the Centre and its ally, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), over what the DMK terms as the lack of concrete steps to address the decades-old humanitarian issue.
In his communication, Stalin said those who sought refuge in India had lived “with dignity, discipline and deep cultural affinity” for over four decades and urged the Prime Minister to take a favourable decision on humanitarian grounds.