Tamil Nadu CM urges PM Modi to solve citizenship issues of 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils

With only two months left until the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Chief Minister MK Stalin has reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for a fair and compassionate solution to the ongoing citizenship problems faced by Sri Lankan Tamils living in the state for more than forty years. In his letter sent on Sunday, Stalin emphasized that this matter holds significant humanitarian, constitutional, and national importance, mentioning that approximately 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils currently reside in Tamil Nadu, both inside refugee camps and outside them. About 40 percent of these individuals were born in India, and many have been living there for over 30 years. Stalin noted that since 1983, various Tamil Nadu governments, with support from the Union Government, have provided shelter, education, and healthcare to those who escaped the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. However, many of these individuals still do not have citizenship or long-term visas. He highlighted suggestions from a State Advisory Committee and called on the Centre to withdraw previous administrative orders that prevent the review of citizenship applications, to relax passport and visa requirements when appropriate, to allow district-level authorities to process applications more quickly, and to clearly state that registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who were sheltered until January 9, 2015, should not be considered “illegal migrants.” This issue was also discussed in Parliament last year during talks about the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the DMK had not raised the refugees’ concerns with him. DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi disputed this, providing evidence of letters sent by the Tamil Nadu government regarding the issue. Politically, this letter comes at a crucial time as the ruling DMK highlights Tamil language, identity, and heritage in its campaign against the BJP-led Centre. By advocating for citizenship and legal clarity for Sri Lankan Tamils, the DMK aims to strengthen support from pro-Tamil voters and those who sympathize with Lankan refugees. Despite their long stay, only 11 Sri Lankan refugees have been granted Indian citizenship to date. Among them, only one has voting rights, while the other ten have requested to be added to the electoral rolls, indicating the slow progress in regularizing their status. This action also puts pressure on the BJP-led Centre and its ally, the AIADMK, regarding what the DMK describes as a failure to take significant steps to resolve this long-standing issue. In his letter, Stalin expressed that those who sought refuge in India have lived “with dignity, discipline, and deep cultural affinity” for over four decades and urged the Prime Minister to make a positive decision based on humanitarian grounds.