'PM should quit if he can't protect fishermen'

Targetting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the issue of continued attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday described him as "weak and ineffective" and asked him to quit if "doesn't know what to do".

After meeting the family members of a fisherman who was brutally killed in the latest attack off Kodiakarai coast in the district, Jayalalithaa said, "The Indian government is weak. The prime minister is weak and ineffective."

Since the prime minister was "ineffective", the Sri Lankan Navy had the audacity to kill Indian fishermen, she alleged.

"India is one among the biggest nations in the world with a mighty armed force. But, the tiny Sri Lanka is playing with the lives of Indian fishermen. This is happening only because the central government is very weak," she told reporters outside the house of N Jayakumar, who was allegedly dragged into sea waters with a rope tied to his neck resulting in his death last week.

Jayalalithaa described as "illegal" the ceding of Katchatheevu, an islet, to Sri Lanka in 1974 by India by way of a pact saying it was not ratified by the Parliament. Retrieval of Katchatheevu was the only solution to end the sufferings of Tamil Nadu fishermen, she said.

Jayalalithaa accused the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government of not showing any interest in safeguarding the lives of the fishermen. "The DMK is interested only in the welfare of a single family. Law and order is deteriorating in the state and people feel very insecure," she claimed.

Earlier, Jayalalithaa, who arrived at Vedaranyam by a helicopter, reached the Pushpanavam village by road. She comforted the fisherman's family members and presented a cash relief of Rs one lakh to his wife Murugeswari, assuring all help, including assistance for the education of her two girl children. She also visited the houses of the two injured fishermen and enquired about their health.

Two fishermen from the state were killed allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy in a span of 10 days following which India lodged a strong protest with the island nation and sought strong action to end such incidents.

Sri Lanka has denied its Navy was involved in the attacks.