NEW DELHI: The DMK and Congress were criticised by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday for their “bear no responsibility” attitude towards the Katchatheevu problem. He made a point of saying that everyone should be aware of how Katchatheevu was handed away.
Jaishankar said, “We know who did this; what we don’t know is who hid it,” at a news briefing in Delhi.
The public has a right to know how Katchatheevu Island was ceded to Sri Lanka and why, despite assurances to the Parliament that their fishing rights would be protected under the 1974 agreement, Indian fishermen’s rights were likewise forfeited in 1976.”
“In 1974, India and Sri Lanka concluded an agreement where they drew a maritime boundary, and in drawing the maritime boundary, Katchatheevu was put on the Sri Lankan side of the boundary,” he said.
He went on to say that India and Sri Lankan officials needed to get together and come up with a solution.
“In the last 20 years, 6184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka, and 1175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized, detained, or apprehended by Sri Lanka,” Jaishankar said, providing background information on the matter. This is the history of the problem we are talking about.”
“The then CM of Tamil Nadu has written to me numerous times,” Jaishankar said, referring to it as a “live issue” rather than something that “suddenly” came to light. And according to my record, I have responded to the current CM on this matter 21 times. This is not a new problem that has emerged. This is an active problem.
The matter has been extensively discussed in Tamil Nadu circles and the parliament. The state government and the union government have corresponded about it,” he said.
He further said, “DMK questions handing over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, claims Tamil Nadu government not consulted; fact is it was kept fully informed.”
“Congress & DMK have approached this matter as though they have no responsibility for it,” he stated, lashing out at them for their handling of the issue.
“As though the situation is for today’s central government to resolve, there is no history to this; this has just happened; they are the people who are taking up the cause; that is the way they would like to project it,” he said.
PM Modi attacked the DMK on the Katchatheevu island issue earlier in the day, citing a Times of India story and claiming that fresh information on the subject had “unmasked” the party’s hypocrisy.
This incident occurs one day after the Prime Minister severely criticised the Congress party and the DMK for ceding the island of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974, when the Indira Gandhi administration was in power. The Katchatheevu arrangement has angered people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked on Sunday, adding that the Congress can never be trusted.