Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 7 (ANI): A group of 15 Tamil Nadu fishermen who were stranded in Iran following the Iran-Israel war have returned safely to Chennai. They were received at the Chennai airport by Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran, who later addressed the media regarding the rescue efforts.

Nagendran explained that the fishermen, hailing from coastal villages in Sivagangai and Uvari regions, had travelled to Iran for deep-sea fishing. However, due to rising conflict in the region, they were unable to continue working and expressed their desire to return home.

'Upon receiving information about their situation, I immediately contacted the Minister of External Affairs. Emergency food supplies were arranged for the stranded fishermen on one of the islands. Efforts are also underway to rescue more fishermen from another island,' Nagendran said.

Since direct flights from Iran were not feasible, the fishermen were brought to Dubai by ship and, from there, flown to Delhi, eventually reaching Chennai. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs for facilitating the rescue. The Tamil Nadu BJP funded the entire operation.

Ajith, a fisherman from Uvari, expressed gratitude to the BJP for bringing them back. 'Due to war tensions, we couldn't work and were struggling even for food. We reached out to Nainar Nagendran, and he arranged for our return,' he said.

Anto, another fisherman, recalled, 'We went to Iran in February, but the situation became tense and we couldn't go fishing for two months. We informed the BJP leadership, and they made arrangements for food and shelter. Tamil Nadu government officials did not reach out to us at all. All 15 of us from our group are now back, though another group on a different island is still stranded.'

Mani from Tirunelveli shared the hardships they faced: 'The war zone was intense. We needed GPS equipment to fish, but it wasn't provided. Our boat owner offered no help. We remained stranded on the boat since June 13. No one came to rescue us except Nainar Nagendran, who responded within a week of our plea. We haven't received any wages, and the trauma remains. Seeing my wife and children will help me recover. He saved us like a god.'

The Tamil Nadu BJP has promised to continue rescue efforts to bring back the remaining fishermen from Iran.

Nagendran also commented on actor Vijay's recent statement about not aligning with any party. 'While Vijay now says he prefers to stand alone, the common goal between us and Vijay is that DMK should not remain in power. I had suggested unity based on that shared view,' he stated.

'Ever since the BJP and AIADMK reunited under the NDA alliance, DMK leaders have been visibly anxious. That's why they push the 'B-team' narrative. They said the same about TVK Chief Vijay and MNM Chief Kamal Haasan. Now Kamal is with the DMK, even an MP under their banner,' he added.

Nagendran reaffirmed that with 10 months still to go before the Assembly elections, political strategies may evolve, and alliances could shift. (ANI)