TN FICCI unit urges MPs to cancel Sri Lanka trip

Chennai: A day after Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan opposed a FICCI-sponsored Sri Lanka visit of a team of Parliamentarians, its Tamil Nadu unit met the industry body’s top brass in New Delhi and sought immediate cancellation of the proposed trip. The state unit delegation led by FICCI Tamil Nadu Chairman M Rafeeque Ahmed and past FICCI President and industrialist A C Muthiah met FICCI National President Naina Lal Kidwai and urged her to “immediately cancel” the proposed visit of the Indian Parliamentarian delegation, a release said here. [caption id=“attachment_690564” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Anti Sri Lanka protests in Tamil Nadu. Agencies.[/caption] Asking FICCI to cancel the proposed tour, Natarajan had said it would deeply hurt the cause of Lankan Tamils and asked the industry body to cancel it in expression of solidarity with them. Referring to a media report that FICCI was proposing to send a section of MPs to the island nation from April 8 to 12 to “conduct bilateral talks”, Natarajan said, “I feel that this is a trip which if undertaken, will be deeply hurtful to the cause of innocent Sri Lankan Tamils. “I feel very strongly that FICCI should show solidarity with this cause and refrain from sending a Parliamentarians team to Sri Lanka at this time”, Natarajan had said in a letter to FICCI National President.” PTI