Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcomes fishermen repatriated from Iran

Chennai: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday welcomed the Indian fishermen who arrived in Chennai after being repatriated from Iran via Armenia, following a significant diplomatic effort by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Speaking to reporters, Piyush Goyal described the return as a "Joyous day" for the families of the fishermen, who had been stranded in Iran amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

"Today is a joyous day where our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Iran are coming back home to their families, motherland. We warmly welcome all our fishermen brothers and sisters... It was a difficult journey for them. They had to go 20 hours to Armenia and other countries," Goyal said.

"The MEA Officials worked day and night to bring them to Armenia. Today they are flying back from Armenia. We are very happy to receive them, welcome them back home," he added.

On MK Stalin's recent statement on imposing Hindi in the state, Goyal further claimed that Chief Minister MK Stalin has "lost" the upcoming Assembly elections and is resorting to "false allegations" out of desperation.

"I think Stalin has lost this election. He has already given up on these elections. That is why he makes false allegations. The people of Tamil Nadu know that no one is trying to impose Hindi on them. We want more and more children to learn Tamil. The third language is optional; whatever they want to learn. There is no compulsion to learn any particular language," the Minister stated. (ANI)

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