“Rhetoric aside, DMK has done nothing to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests. New details emerging on Katchatheevu have unmasked the DMK’s double standards totally,” PM Modi said in a post on X citing a report by the Times of India.
Political Flash Point
Katchatheevu, a tiny island between India and Sri Lanka on the Palk Straight has recently become a political flashpoint in Tamil Nadu, a state where the BJP is trying to make inroads ahead of Lok Sabha Elections.
The island, a disputed area, was given to Sri Lanka by the Congress government headed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi through an agreement in 1974. But lead by PM Modi, the BJP has launched a charge on Opposition Congress and DMK for “callously” giving it away.
The report quoted by the PM on Monday said that the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had given his concurrence to the agreement despite his party the DMK’s public posturing against the deal.
Soon after PM Modi’s posts on Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to give away the island to Sri Lanka.
The issue has resurfaced after a media report based on a RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai that former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi had ceded the Island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
“Eye-opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu. This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds – we can’t ever trust Congress,” PM Modi posted on X, on March 31, citing another report on RTI response saying Indira Gandhi ceded the island to Sri Lanka.
Questionable Timing
PM Modi also mentioned the issues during the rally in Meerut where he flagged off BJP’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister linked the island row to the capture of Tamil fishermen and the seizure of their boats by the Lankan forces, something that Jaishankar also did during the press conference.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge responded and questioned the timing of the issue being raised by the Prime Minister. Kharge said Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka as part of a friendly agreement in 1974. He also reminded that the Modi government had also undertaken a similar “friendly gesture” towards Bangladesh on exchange of border enclaves.
Senior DMK leader RS Bharathi said the PM had “no achievements” to showcase and was only spreading “lies”. “If PM Modi was keen on Katchatheevu, he could have reclaimed that island during his 10 years in office. Why did not he take up the Katchatheevu issue?,” Bharathi said echoing Kharge’s response.
What is the row?
Katchatheevu island, the 163-acre stretch is located about 33 kilometres from Indian coast in the Palk Strait between Rameswaram in India and Sri Lanka. It was used by fishermen from both countries and initially part of the Madras Presidency. The stretch has been a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka since the British period. A dispute broke out again after Independence over fishing rights around the island.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi led Congress government agreed to cede it to island nation under the 1974 “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement“. This is how Katchatheevu became part of Sri Lanka. By then, the island had little strategic value. But over the last decade, things have changed due to rise of China and the country’s growing influence over Sri Lanka.
The Significance for Tamil Nadu
Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu often face action from the Sri Lankan authorities. Jaishankar said on Monday that at least 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained in the last 20 years while 1,175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized by Sri Lankan authorities in the same period
The DMK, which was in power in Tamil Nadu in 1974, has said earlier that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi-led Congress government had ignored DMK’s views before signing the agreement with Sri Lanka.
Many leaders from the state, including the AIDMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa had also flagged the issue. Jayalakithaa had approached the Supreme Court with a petition. In fact in August 2014, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government had told the SC that the country will have to wage war to get back Katchatheevu Island
Last year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written to PM Modi, asking the matter be discussed, ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe‘s visit to India.
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Published: 01 Apr 2024, 12:58 PM IST
