Prime Minister Modi has targeted the Congress and DMK by exploiting a media report on Katchatheevu, which is based on an RTI reply that Tamil Nadu BJP head K Annamalai received.
As the BJP steps up its campaign in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a stern message to the Congress party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday over the Katchatheevu issue. PM Modi claimed that fresh information on Katchatheevu had “unmasked the DMK’s double standard,” alluding to a news story.
Under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Indian government reached a deal with Sri Lanka in 1974 giving up its claim to the island. Given that Indian fisherman had historically exploited the island, there was a great deal of criticism to this decision, especially in Tamil Nadu. In Parliament, DMK MP Era Sezhiyan had vehemently objected to it, calling it a surrender of land without due process.
The Times of India story now states that at a meeting with Indian officials before the announcement by the Center, M. Karunanidhi, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu at the time, gave his broad approval to the arrangement. The media article is based on an RTI response that Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai obtained in response to his inquiries concerning the 1974 Indo-Lanka pact, which was signed during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
