Ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Katchatheevu row takes centre stage in TN

The subject of Katchatheevu island which India gave to Sri Lanka in 1974 is still causing turmoil in Tamil Nadu politics Late Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaaheld different opinions on the Katchatheevu row with Jayalalithaaeven promising to recover the island to alleviate fishermens fearsThe island was handed over to Sri Lanka by thenPrime Minister Indira Gandhi as part of a deal to establish maritime boundaries in the Palk Straits This decision also prohibited fishermen from both countries from fishing in one others exclusive economic zones a PTI report statedThe report added that withPrime Minister Narendra Modi attacking the Congress and its ally the DMK which were in power at the time of the pact the Katchatheevu issue has taken centre stage in Tamil Nadu ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 which will begin on April 19DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin slammed Modis remarks questioning the BJPs sudden focus on fishermens difficulties before of the polls He also expressed concern over the delay in giving disaster help to the state the report addedKatchatheevu row in the centre of political debateAccording to the PTI report political groups and fishermens unions in Tamil Nadu have long called for Katchatheevus return to India claiming that Indian fishermen have historic fishing rights in the area The regular arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy exacerbate tensionsJayalalithaa personally petitioned for the islands restoration and the AIADMK administration eventually intervened Meanwhile PM Modi has accused the Congress and the DMK of ignoring Tamil Nadus interests and attacking the family politicsPM Modi per the report wrote on X formerly Twitter Rhetoric aside DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadus interests New details emerging on Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMKs double standards The Congress and DMK are family units and they only care that their sons and daughters rise They dont care for anyone else Their callousness on Katchatheevu has harmed the interests of our poor fishermen and fisherwomen in particularExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also stepped into the Katchatheevu row blaming previous prime ministers for being indifferent to the issue Karunanidhi responded by claiming that as Chief Minister he opposed the decision but had limited success in contesting it the PTI report further statedAccording to the report the Katchatheevu row has been a source of contention between the DMK and AIADMK for many years with both parties accusing the other of passivity or mishandling the situationKatchatheevu row Karunanidhi and JayalalithaasparThe historical issue over Katchatheevu island had provoked a fight between previous Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and J JayalalithaaDuring his stint as CM per the PTI report Karunanidhi wrote to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi claiming that the island had historically belonged to Ramnads zamindari He expressed deep regret over the governments decision to cede the islet in the Palk Strait in 1974 and called for a reassessment of the decisionIn contrast Jayalalithaaaccused Karunanidhi of passivity on the problem comparing his party the DMK to the cartoon Rip Van Winkle for sleeping on it for 20 years She zealously pursued the issue even pushing Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1994 for a resolutionJayalalithaa proposed several possibilities including leasing the island and nearby seas in perpetuity to settle the longrunning issue between Tamil Nadu fishermen and Sri Lanka She met with Prime Minister Modi in 2016 to solicit support for the islands retrievalKarunanidhi on the other hand maintained his opposition to the surrendering of Katchatheevu and conveyed unhappiness to Indira Gandhi over the IndoLankan deal He claimed to have continually expressed concern and never agreed to cede the island