A small uninhabited island that was at the center of a territorial dispute between India and Sri Lanka in the 1970s has stirred a fresh political row in New Delhi ahead of general elections in the country. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several of his key government ministers have waded into the controversy over the island of Katchatheevu, accusing the opposition Congress Party of “weakening” the country’s integrity and interests by ceding the territory to neighboring Sri Lanka.
The cession of the island, just 33km off India's coast, by way of the 1974 Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement, took place under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Congress Party. The 163-acre territory was part of the Madras Presidency during British colonial rule, and had been used by fishermen from both countries. Two years after the agreement, Indian fishermen lost the right to work the waters around the island.
Modi cited a Times of India article, cited documents obtained by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai through an RTI (Right to Information) application, which revealed details of how the Indian decision to cede the island was reached. Modi, who leads the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – the main rival of Congress – has described the revelations in the report as “eye-opening and startling.”
Speaking at a political rally in Meerut on Sunday, Modi claimed that India cannot trust a party that gave away an “integral part” of its territory.
The Indian prime minister also targeted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, that rules the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is close to the island and has historical ties with Sri Lanka. Citing the report, Modi said the then-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had given consent to the 1974 agreement, despite the DMK’s public posturing against the pact.
The accusations have stirred political tensions in Tamil Nadu, a state where the BJP traditionally has struggled to gain more influence – India’s largest party has only four seats in the 234-member state assembly.The DMK, seen as a regional powerhouse, is part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a bloc of opposition parties that aim to defeat the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the forthcoming general elections.
On Monday, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar commented on the row, saying Sri Lanka had detained more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and 1,175 fishing vessels over the last two decades, following the 1976 deal. Speaking at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Jaishankar claimed that the Congress party's prime ministers displayed indifference towards Katchatheevu and gave away Indian fishing rights, despite publicly “posturing” for their cause. The DMK “connived” with the Congress in 1974, he alleged.
P Chidambaram, a senior Congress official, questioned why Modi had brought up the 1974 Island issue now and urged him instead to speak on the “Chinese occupation” of India. Ties between New Delhi and Beijing are strained following a 2020 skirmish in the Ladakh region that caused casualties on both sides. The border dispute remains unresolved despite de-escalation efforts and ongoing talks to achieve complete disengagement.
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