Fri Sep 05 07:10:58 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
**Headline: AIADMK Praises Union Government’s Decision to Exempt Sri Lankan Tamils from Penal Provisions**
**Chennai, September 5, 2025** – The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has lauded the Union government’s decision to exempt Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who arrived in India before January 9, 2015, from penal provisions under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, related to lacking valid travel documents.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on behalf of the AIADMK, the people of Tamil Nadu, and the Sri Lankan Tamil community. He emphasized that granting legal recognition to these individuals has been a long-standing demand of the AIADMK.
“This announcement marks the first step towards providing legal recognition to Sri Lankan Tamils, and @AIADMKOfficial wholeheartedly welcomes it,” Palaniswami stated. He further added that party members had consistently raised the issue in Parliament at his direction.
Palaniswami highlighted the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils who fled to Tamil Nadu due to conflict, economic difficulties, and the perceived betrayal by the DMK-Congress alliance. He expressed satisfaction that the Union government has now permitted those registered as refugees who arrived before the 2015 cutoff to legally reside in India.
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