Katchatheevu row resurfaces in Assembly; TVK Ministers accuse then DMK govt. of failing to stop handover to Sri Lanka
The Tamil Nadu Assembly saw heated debate over the 1974 handover of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. Ruling TVK ministers blamed the former DMK government for failing to prevent the transfer, while DMK members defended their past actions.
Why it matters
The Katchatheevu issue remains a sensitive political topic in Tamil Nadu, frequently linked to the safety and rights of local fishermen.
The issue of India handing over to Sri Lanka, Katchatheevu, an uninhabited island spread over nearly 285 acres in the Palk Strait separating the Tamil Nadu coast from northern Sri Lanka, rocked the Assembly on Wednesday. The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Ministers accused the then DMK government led by former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of “failing to stop” the Centre from handing over the island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
During the discussion on the demands for grants for the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare departments, Ramanathapuram MLA Katharbatcha Muthuramalingam (DMK) highlighted the ordeals faced by fishermen from Tamil Nadu at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy in mid-sea, particularly after the enactment of a law in Sri Lanka that provided for the confiscation of fishing vessels in addition to the arrest of fishermen.
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