The issue of Sri Lanka arresting Indian fishermen stems from an agreement during Emergency under which their rights for fishing in some specific areas were given up, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.
The agreement with Sri Lanka would not have been possible if a genuine Parliament functioned at that time, Jaishankar said at an event organised by the BJP Yuva Morcha to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency.
Big decisions were sometimes taken without any parliamentary debate during the time, he said.
“We hear about our fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka. The reason is that an agreement was entered into during Emergency under which the rights of the fishermen for fishing in some sea waters of Sri Lanka was abandoned,” Jaishankar said.
Had a genuine Parliament functioned at the time, there would have been a debate and this decision would not be accepted, the minister said.