With just two months to go before Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking citizenship or long-term visas for approximately 89,000 Eelam Tamils who have been living in the southern Indian state for decades.
Describing the issue as one of “profound humanitarian, constitutional and national importance,” Stalin noted that since 1983, successive governments in Tamil Nadu, with the concurrence of the Union Government, have provided shelter, subsistence, education and healthcare to "Sri Lankan Tamils" who fled ethnic conflict. Nearly 40 per cent of the 89,000 currently residing in the state were born in India, and many have lived there for more than 30 years.
Despite their decades-long residence and integration into society, Stalin said many continue to face prolonged legal uncertainty, lacking access to durable legal solutions such as citizenship or long-term visa status.
Referring to the recommendations of a State Advisory Committee, Stalin urged the Centre to rescind earlier administrative instructions that bar consideration of citizenship applications, waive passport and visa requirements where appropriate, delegate powers to district-level authorities for faster processing, and formally 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 DMK had not taken up the refugees’ issue with him. The claim was denied by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who cited letters sent by the Tamil Nadu government.
Politically, the appeal comes as the ruling DMK foregrounds Tamil language, identity and heritage as key campaign themes against the BJP-led Centre. By pressing for citizenship pathways and long-term visas, the DMK is seemingly seeking to consolidate pro-Tamil voters.
Despite their prolonged stay, only 11 Eelam Tamil 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 underscoring the limited progress in regularising their status.
Hon’ble @PMOIndia Thiru. @NarendraModi, 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.… pic.twitter.com/9L83qONtlG
— M.K.Stalin - தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) February 15, 2026
In his letter, Stalin said those who sought refuge in India had lived “with dignity, discipline and deep cultural affinity” for over four decades and urged Modi to take a favourable decision on humanitarian grounds.
Responding to the appeal, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa warmed "not to politicize this sensitive humanitarian issue".
"Following the end of the 30-year conflict, during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, our government consistently facilitated the safe and voluntary return of Sri Lankans residing in camps in Tamil Nadu," he claimed.
A UN human rights working group that visited Sri Lanka in December 2017 received testimony that, in some cases, returned asylum-seekers were “beaten and kept under surveillance once released, and charged with offences relating to illegal departure from Sri Lanka”.
