“Undermining the unity, integrity and interests of India has been the modus operandi of the Congress for 75 years,” he said, posting a Times of India report based on Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai's RTI reply.
He later raised the issue at a rally in Meerut while trumpeting the BJP's election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and linked it to the arrest of Tamil fishermen and seizure of their boats by Sri Lankan forces.
In Annamalai's RTI, details were sought regarding the decision of the Indira Gandhi government to hand over the island, about which there has always been dissatisfaction in Tamil Nadu. With Congress being an ally of the state's ruling DMK, the BJP is hoping to make political gains in a state dominated by Dravidian politics.
Why is there controversy regarding Katchatheevu?
Katchatheevu is about 33 km from the Indian coast near Rameshwaram. This has been a disputed area between India and Sri Lanka since the British era. At that time both the countries were British colonies. The British had linked it to Madras Presidency citing the traditional claims of Ramanatha Zamindari of Ramanathapuram. However, after independence, a dispute broke out over fishing rights around the island.
This uninhabited volcanic island is 1.6 km long and about 300 meters wide. At that time its strategic importance was considered very less. However, the situation has changed in the last decades due to China's increasing influence on Sri Lanka.
Why is Katchatheevu important for Tamil Nadu?
The majority of Indian fishermen who venture into this area and face action from Sri Lankan authorities are from Tamil Nadu. The DMK, which ruled Tamil Nadu in 1974, claims that the Congress government did not consider its views before signing the agreement with Sri Lanka. The party had organized many protests at that time.
The J Jayalalithaa-led government regularly raised the issue and even took the matter to court.
Last year, before the visit of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to India, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he had asked to discuss this matter.
Even after many fishermen were arrested by Sri Lankan authorities, he wrote a letter to PM Modi.
“The fishing waters that Tamil fishermen have traditionally relied on for generations are becoming increasingly restricted, impacting the economic stability of these communities and making it difficult to sustain their livelihoods,” Stalin wrote in February. It also threatens the cultural and social fabric of the region which revolves around the fishing industry.”
Claiming that the number of arrests has increased, he said, “During 2023, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 243 fishermen and seized 37 boats. However, in the last 28 days, 88 fishermen and 12 boats were arrested in six incidents.”
BJP-Congress face to face after PM's remarks
After PM Modi's comments, BJP and Congress leaders are at loggerheads over Katchatheevu. Senior DMK leader RS Bharti said the Prime Minister has no achievements to show and is only spreading lies. If Prime Minister Modi had been keen on Katchatheevu, he could have regained it during his 10-year tenure. Bharathi said, “Why did he not raise the issue of Katchatheevu?”
This argument has also been supported by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge said Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka under a friendly agreement in 1974. He said the BJP-led government had also taken a similar “friendly step” towards Bangladesh on exchange of border areas.
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Narendra Modi on Katchatheevu
