Centre Trying Everything Possible To Retrieve Katchatheevu From Sri Lanka: Annamalai

The Centre is trying everything possible to retrieve Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said on Monday amid war-of-words between the saffron party and Congress.

"Katchatheevu was given to Sri Lanka with the consent of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi. He spoke with Kewal Singh - former External Affairs Minister. Now, the BJP has given a letter to EAM Jaishankar to get back Katchatheevu," ANI quoted Annamalai as telling reporters.

Annamalai once again said that the island was ceded to Sri Lanka by the Indira Gandhi government in 1974 with the consent of the late Tamil Nadu former Chief Minister and DMK patriarch Karunanidhi.

"It should be brought back to India; this is our stand. Centre is trying everything possible to bring back Katchatheevu to protect fishermen," he added.

After sharing a news article outlining the events leading to Sri Lanka's overtaking the Katchatheevu island, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday criticized the DMK, asserting that the newly surfaced details regarding the island have exposed the party's hypocrisy.

PM Modi referenced a statement by the late DMK MP Era Sezhiyan, who expressed dissatisfaction with the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement signed during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Sezhiyan labeled the agreement as "unholy," as it involved India relinquishing its claim on the Katchatheevu Island.

"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," the Prime Minister wrote on X.

In 1974, the uninhabited island was ceded when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi acknowledged Katchatheevu as part of Sri Lanka under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement with her counterpart Srimavo Bandaranaike. This agreement aimed to resolve maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait.

Subsequently, another agreement in 1976 was signed to restrict fishermen from both countries from fishing in each other's exclusive economic zones.

Now, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi directing criticism towards the Congress and its ally DMK, who were in power at the Centre and the state respectively, at that time, the issue has become a focal point in the lead-up to the April 19 general election in Tamil Nadu. The BJP is holding the Congress and DMK responsible for relinquishing control of the island.