Katchatheevu row | Centre trying everything possible to retrieve island from Sri Lanka: TN BJP chief
Katchatheevu row: Centre is trying everything possible to reclaim Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said on Monday. He also reiterated his claim that the island was ceded to Sri Lanka by the then-Indira Gandhi government in 1974, with the approval of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK patriarch Karunanidhi.
"Katchatheevu was given to Sri Lanka with the approval of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi. He spoke with Kewal Singh, former External Affairs Minister. Now, the BJP has written to EAM Jaishankar to reclaim Katchatheevu," Annamalai told reporters.
"It should be brought back to India; this is our stand. Centre is trying everything possible to bring back Katchatheevu to protect fishermen," he further said.
Meanwhile, after sharing a news article detailing the events that led to Sri Lanka's takeover of the Katchatheevu island, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday, claiming that new details about the island have revealed the DMK's double standards.
PM Modi shared a statement by late DMK MP Era Sezhiyan, who was disappointed with the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement signed by the then-Indira Gandhi government, which gave up India's claim to Katchatheevu Island and referred to it as "an unholy agreement."
"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. Congress and the DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don't care for anyone else. Their callousness on Katchatheevu has harmed the interests of our poor fishermen and fisherwomen in particular," PM posted on X.
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