In the midst of long-simmering tensions and agitations in Sri Lanka that were sparked by the worst economic crisis, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai has on Saturday - April 30 kickstarted his four-day tour to the island nation with an agenda of meeting various stakeholders. He had left Chennai for Colombo during the morning hours of Saturday.

His trip has come a day after the Tamil Nadu ruling DMK government has said that it is ready to ship the essential items to Sri Lanka with consent from the Union government. The government has passed a resolution to dispatch the products that include milk powder and rice. While the DMK government had kept the materials ready, the BJP has sketched the aim of winning goodwill in Tamil Nadu by visiting the Sri Lankan Tamils directly in the backdrop of growing tensions.

The final picture of the sketch was the plan of sending Annamalai to Sri Lanka to visit the people amid the ordeal. Through his tour, Annamalai has become the first political leader in India to visit Sri Lanka since the crisis began and through this tour, he also had made the first international visit after becoming the Tamil Nadu BJP President. 

Annamalai's Sri Lankan trip was planned in a fashion of the party's calculation of a political move to enhance its base in Tamil Nadu by meeting the Tamil people in the island nation. Annamalai was invited by the Ceylon Workers Congress and during his visit, he will be meeting India's Ambassador to Sri Lanka and will take part in the May Day celebrations that will be organized on May 1 - Sunday. 

Speaking to IANS, Annamalai said, "I am leaving for a four-day trip to Sri Lanka and would meet lawmakers, NGO representatives, and political leaders. I will present a report on the situation in the island nation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda." Annamalai will also be travelling to the areas where the Tamil people are living and he will also be interacting with the tea workers. 

Annamalai will be reviewing the difficulties faced by the Sri Lankan people, particularly the Tamil people, due to the economic crisis, which will also be a part of his report. Earlier, the Ceylon Workers Congress has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending financial support of $1 billion to Sri Lanka. In an official statement, the Workers Congress said, "We the people of Indian origin would like to honour him for his commitment to support us." 

"We are planning this occasion along with the May Day celebrations on May 1 in the country which was visited by the Prime Minister in 2017 and addressed the people of Indian origin and also promised 10,000 houses and the construction of which is taking now." On Friday, the Tamil Nadu assembly has passed the resolution of shipping the essentials to Sri Lanka. Chief Minister MK Stalin has said that the state government is ready to offer help to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka on humanitarian grounds. 

He noted that the people in Sri Lanka ought to wait for several hours to buy the essentials in the midst of growing inflation. MK Stalin said that the state government is ready to supply 500 tonnes of milk powder at Rs 15 crore to Sri Lankan Tamils. He further said that the government is also ready to ship 40,000 tonnes of rice worth Rs 80 crore and to provide 137 medical products worth Rs 28 crore to the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Speaking in the assembly, MK Stalin highlighted that the Tamil Nadu government is also ready to supply the required amount of dhal, milk products, and other essential items to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. He noted that the state government has already written to the Union government seeking its permission to dispatch these materials.