Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent visit to Katchatheevu, said to be the first by a head of state, drew attention on both sides of the Palk Strait.

Attired in smart casuals — his trademark double-pocket shirt — the 56-year-old leftist leader, elected to office a year ago, is seen on a naval boat, flanked by Fisheries Minister and Jaffna MP Ramalingam Chandrasekar and other officials. He smiles gently before setting foot on the tiny, uninhabited island, 33 nautical miles off the Jaffna peninsula, on September 1. Seated in the shade of palm trees, Mr. Dissanayakelistens intently while a Naval officer describes the 1.15 sq. km outcrop, pointing to a map.

Also read | Katchatheevu demands thinking outside the box

Walking around briskly with officials in tow, Mr. Dissanayake pays respects at the St. Anthony’s Catholic Shrine, the only permanent structure there, before returning to Jaffna, where at a public meeting earlier that day he pledged to safeguard Sri Lankan territory, resisting any “external force”. The symbolism of the visit, with the accompanying visuals and messaging played well in Sri Lanka, comes days after Tamil actor-politician Vijay’s demand in a political rally that India must retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka. The government subsequently announced it is also exploring the tourism potential of Katchatheevu, by making it more accessible from nearby Delft island, one of Jaffna’s off-track tourist destinations.

The competing claims made from India [Madras Presidency, specifically] and Ceylon to Katchatheevu date back to the 1920s, during British colonial times. The neighbours settled the matter some five decades later, through two bilateral agreements signed in 1974 and 1976, delineating an International Maritime Boundary Line, whereby Katchatheevu is firmly on the Sri Lankan side. In return, New Delhi got sovereign rights over Wadge Bank, located near Kanniyakumari, known for its rich resources.

Katchatheevu is a barren island, with no drinking water or sanitation. Every March, Sri Lanka waives visa controls to allow fishermen from India to worship along with their Sri Lankan counterparts at the St. Anthony’s festival. Around the annual two-day event, mobile toilets and drinking water booths are put up for pilgrims.

Political calculation

Bizarrely, though, half a century since India gave up its claim to Katchatheevu and recognised Sri Lanka’s sovereignty over it, politicians in India periodically rake up the issue. The political calculation driving the frequent call is the assumption that it could boost voter support if pitched as a solution to the enduring fisheries conflict affecting Tamil Nadu’s fishermen, a sizeable electoral constituency.

The fact that the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were in power, respectively at the Centre and in Tamil Nadu, in the 1970s has offered political ammunition to their rivals, especially on the eve of State polls next year. Ahead of general elections last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of “callously giving away” the island to Sri Lanka. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar swiftly amplified this by blaming the two BJP rivals for compromising Indian fishermen’s rights in the Palk Strait.

Both Dravidian parties [DMK and Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, or AIADMK], have demanded its retrieval. In 2008, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa, as General Secretary of the AIADMK, petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a declaration that the 1974 and 1976 agreements were unconstitutional. Ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution, urging the Union government to take steps to retrieve the Katchatheevu island. Subsequently, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said the island’s retrieval was “the only permanent solution” to the issues faced by the fishermen in the State.

Everyone calling for the island’s retrieval in India must know well that it is a far-fetched ask from a mostly friendly neighbour. In 2013, the Union government informed the Supreme Court that the question of gaining Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka did not arise, as “no territory belonging to India was ceded nor sovereignty relinquished since the area in question was in dispute and had never been demarcated”. In 2014, then Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi submitted before the Supreme Court that if India had to retrieve an island belonging to Sri Lanka, “we have to go to war”. The factors that keep the issue alive, despite diplomatic and legal resolution, are chiefly political, and in fact to do with the political economy of a depleting catch in a narrow stretch of water.

Fishermen of south India and northern Sri Lanka rely heavily on the resource-rich Palk Strait. However, with Tamil Nadu fishermen relentlessly resorting to bottom-trawling, a destructive fishing method that scoops out the seabed to maximise the catch and profits, this has severely affected the marine ecosystem. With the catch on the Indian side of the International Maritime Boundary Line diminishing over time, the Tamil Nadu fishing boats ventured into the Sri Lankan side, targeting a heavier net. Daily wage fishermen, working for wealthy boat owners in Tamil Nadu, periodically court arrest by the Sri Lankan Navy — over 230 arrests so far this year— a risk they take to secure their day’s earnings.

Bottom-trawling

Tamil fishermen in northern Sri Lanka, still reeling from the impact of the civil war that ended 16 years ago, contend they have no real chance of rebuilding their destroyed livelihoods, unless their counterparts across the Palk Strait give up bottom-trawling — a practice banned in Sri Lanka.

In bilateral talks with fisher leaders through the years, or petitions to politicians in India and Sri Lanka, all they have been asking their fellow, Tamil-speaking brothers is that they stop the practice. In ministerial level talks between India and Sri Lanka in 2016, New Delhi acknowledged this and agreed to expedite the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling “at the earliest”. But the practice continues.

Decades ago, fishermen from both sides used Katchatheevu as a resting point and a spot to dry out their nets. But in recent history, most arrests of Indian fishermen are made well past Katchatheevu, very close to Sri Lanka’s northern shores. Policymakers on the Indian side know where the problem lies. And politicians know that Katchatheevu offers no real solution to it. But unwilling to confront a key electorate with a difficult question, they habitually invoke it to divert attention from their own failure to resolve the festering fisheries conflict.

Published – September 07, 2025 01:41 am IST

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar in Katchatheevu on September 1, 2025. Photo: Special Arrangement

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Chennai:

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin slammed the BJP for raising the Katchatheevu issue ahead of the the Lok Sabha polls and said that the issue has started to backfire now.

Criticising PM Modi, Mr Stalin further questioned that why did PM did not ever spoke to Sri Lanka government to return back Katchatheevu Island.

“How much time PM Narendra Modi has gone to Sri Lanka in the last 10 years? Has he asked Sri Lanka government to give back Katchatheevu Island even once. When he met Sri Lankan president did he tell that Katchatheevu Island belongs to India. At that time Katchatheevu is not remembered by PM Modi,” Mr Stalin said.

He asked PM Modi that he remembers that Katchatheevu took place during Nehru and Indira Gandhi period, but does he remember an event that happened before two years?

“PM Modi, in May 26, 2022 came to Chennai at Nehru Indoor stadium and participated in a event. In that event I requested and asked him to release GST fund, give exemption for NEET exam (to Tamil Nadu).

My first request was to retrieve Katchatheevu Island which is the rights of our fisherman. Does he remember it? Has he atleast read the request memorandum,” CM Stalin said.

CM Stalin further stated that in 2015, S Jaishankar then foreign secretary had said that Katchatheevu was never a part of India and now since election has arrived as per their wish the statement is changed, he added.

“For many years when ever questions were raised in parliament on Katchatheevu Island issue, no proper answer was given. Many initiated RTI application to get data on Katchatheevu island, but no clarification was given. The BJP government which said the issue related case is in Supreme Court and didn’t give information on it but now how it has given information through RTI,” he hit out at BJP.

He alleged that PM Modi was suddenly shedding crocodile tears for Katchatheevu Island. “In the last 10 years PM Modi never spoke about shoot out incident against Tamil fisherman and arrest of fisherman by Sri Lankan Navy, has PM Modi condemned Sri Lanka ever?” he asked.

Further coming down heavily on PM, Mr Stalin said that Modi ji never has never spoken on encroachment by China.

“China is claiming many places in Arunachal Pradesh. More than 30 places have been named in Chinese language. What are you going to tell on it? You don’t have guts to oppose China. In such situation do you have the right to speak on Katchatheevu?,” he asserted.

The development comes as PM Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress party, accusing it of “dividing the country into pieces” during its 60 year-long regime.

“There was an island under the sea in Tamil Nadu, but the Congress gave it to Sri Lanka and now when our fishermen venture into that area by mistake, they are arrested. Can this Congress ever protect our land when it gave our Katchatheevu to another country,” the PM said.

Coming down heavily on Congress, he further said that the party has given poll ticket to its leader who asked to divide the country into north and south regions, instead of punishing him.

“Congress could not develop the border villages of the country and termed the last villages, but the BJP called those villages the first ones and developed them. If the Congress government had remained in power till date, our former soldiers would have not got ‘one rank one pension’,” the prime minister alleged.

PM Modi on Monday also targeted the DMK for mishandling the Katchatheevu island issue and alleged the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did nothing to safeguard the state’s interests.

New details emerging on the issue of India handing over the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka have unmasked the DMK’s double standards totally, PM Modi posted on X, citing a news report that said that then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had given his concurrence to the agreement despite his party’s public posturing against the deal.

“Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests. New details emerging on #Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK’s double standards totally. Congress and DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don’t care for anyone else. Their callousness on Katchatheevu has harmed the interests of our poor fishermen and fisherwomen in particular,” PM Modi tweeted.

The media report is based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai to his queries on the 1974 agreement between India and Lanka when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 19 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Tamil Nadu ranks fifth in terms of Lok Sabha seats, with 39 seats, including 32 unreserved seats and seven reserved for SC candidates. In the 2019 elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance secured an overwhelming victory, winning 38 out of 39 seats.

In 2019, DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats with a 33.2 per cent vote share, Congress bagged 8 seats with a 12.9 per cent vote and CPI won two seats in Tamil Nadu.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A view of Katchatheevu in Sri Lanka.
| Photo Credit: L. Balachandar

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has not discussed the Katchatheevu issue so far as it was never raised, a government spokesman said in Colombo on April 2, after India’s ruling BJP blamed the Congress for ceding the tiny island to Colombo in 1974.

“The Cabinet did not discuss it as it was never raised,” Bandula Gunawardena, the Cabinet spokesman and minister of information told reporters here today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cited a media report to assert that new facts reveal that the Congress “callously” gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.

Also Read | Katchatheevu | What is the controversy all about?

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also slammed the Congress party and ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over the Katchchatheevu island issue.

On Monday, Jaishankar claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island as if they did not care and gave away Indian fishermen’s rights despite legal views to the contrary.

Citing details of the agreements between India and Sri Lanka first in 1974 and then in 1976, he said a recurring theme is the indifference shown by the central government and prime ministers of the day about the territory of India.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has said that Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka to maintain good relations and to save the lives of lakhs of Tamils.

Mr. Chidambaram, a former Union Home Minister, wondered why the Prime Minister was raking up an issue that was settled in 1974.

That year, the Indira Gandhi government, to maintain good relations with Sri Lanka and to help lakhs and lakhs of Tamils there, negotiated with the island nation’s government.

Following negotiations, a settlement was made on Katchatheevu, a very small island of about 1.9 sq km, and India acknowledged Katchatheevu as belonging to Sri Lanka, he said.

In return, six lakh Tamils were allowed to come to India.

“They have come here, their families are here, they have got full freedom, they are breathing free air. Their children and grandchildren are here. The issue was closed 50 years ago,” Mr. Chidambaram said.

New Delhi:

In a sharp response to Dr S Jaishankar’s remarks on the Katchatheevu island row, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram questioned why the foreign minister is “doing a somersault” on the issue. Mr Chidambaram also said that Dr Jaishankar’s journey from being a “suave liberal foreign service officer” to “a mouthpiece of the RSS-BJP” will be “recorded in the annals of acrobatic sports”.

The counter-strike came after Dr Jaishankar today doubled down on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge at the Congress over the island row.

Quoting decades-old discussions in Parliament, the minister said the governments led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were indifferent to the island.

It is true that Fishermen were detained in the last 50 years. Likewise, India has detained many SL fishermen

Every government has negotiated with Sri Lanka and freed our fishermen

This has happened when Mr Jaishankar was a foreign service officer and when he was Foreign…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 1, 2024

The Katchatheevu island, he said, was a “nusiance” for Nehru. It was during the Indira Gandhi government’s tenure when India gave up fishing rights near the island, he said.

The matter has become a talking point following a media report based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai. Dr Jaishankar stressed that the matter has not emerged suddenly, saying that it is a “live issue”. He also said that the Congress and the DMK are approaching the matter as if they have responsibility.

The recurrent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka is an issue that finds resonance among the people. With the elections near, the BJP wants to play up this matter as it pushes for a better show in the southern state. The Prime Minister has accused the Congress of “callously” giving away the island to Sri Lanka and said the DMK had done nothing to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Mr Chidambaram said, “It is true that Fishermen were detained in the last 50 years. Likewise, India has detained many SL fishermen. Every government has negotiated with Sri Lanka and freed our fishermen. This has happened when Mr Jaishankar was a foreign service officer and when he was Foreign Secretary and when he is Foreign Minister.”

“What has changed for Mr Jaishankar to launch a tirade against the Congress and DMK? Were not fishermen detained by Sri Lanka when Mr Vajpayee was PM and BJP was in power and in alliance with different political parties of TN? Were not fishermen detained by Sri Lanka when Mr Modi was in power since 2014?” he added.

Tit for tat is old. Tweet for Tweet is the new weapon.

Will Foreign Minister Mr. Jaishankar please refer to the RTI reply dated 27-1-2015.

I believe that Mr Jaishankar was the FM on 27-1-2015.

The Reply justified the circumstances under which India acknowledged that a small…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 1, 2024

The Congress leader said “tit for tat is old” and “tweet for tweet is the new weapon”.

“Will Foreign Minister Mr. Jaishankar please refer to the RTI reply dated 27-1-2015. I believe that Mr Jaishankar was the FM on 27-1-2015. The Reply justified the circumstances under which India acknowledged that a small island belonged to Sri Lanka. Why is the Foreign Minister and his ministry doing a somersault now?” asked Mr Chidambaram, a Tamil Nadu leader and former Home Minister. 

He then took a personal swipe at the External Affairs Minister. “How quickly can people change colours. From a suave liberal Foreign Service officer to a smart Foreign Secretary to a mouthpiece of the RSS-BJP, life and times of Mr Jaishankar will be recorded in the annals of acrobatic sports,” he said, referring to the minister, who went from being a diplomat to joining the government.

Mr Chidambaram said the pact between India and Sri Lanka helped Tamil refugees from the island come and settle in India. “Why did Indira Gandhi acknowledge that it belonged to Sri Lanka? Millions of Tamils, as many as 6 lakh Tamils, were suffering in Sri Lanka. They had to come to India as refugees and settle here. As a result of this settlement, 6 lakh Tamils came to India. They have lived in this country for the last 50 years, their families are here. They enjoy freedom,” he said.

The DMK, too, has hit out at the BJP over the issue. DMK’s A Saravanan said the External Affairs Minister has said nothing new. “The question is why the BJP is raking up this issue now. Because they are scared, they know they are going to lose this election and in Tamil Nadu, they are facing a rout. The Prime Minister cannot answer the question, why no flood relief for Tamil Nadu. He is now bringing up false bogeys,” he said.

New Delhi:

A tiny island between India and Sri Lanka on Palk Straight has become the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The island of Katchatheevu, a disputed area, was given to Sri Lanka by the Congress government headed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi through an agreement in 1974.

Katchatheevu — around 33 km from the Indian coast near Rameswaram — has been a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka since the British period. Back then both nations were British colonies. The British, citing the traditional claims of the Ramnad zamindari of Ramanathapuram, had attached it to the Madras Presidency.

But the dispute broke out again after Independence over fishing rights around the island.

To settle the discord and strengthen ties with Sri Lanka, the government headed by Indira Gandhi had agreed to cede it to island nation under the 1974 “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement”.

At the time, the uninhabited volcanic island — 1.6 km in length and around 300 m wide — was thought to have little strategic value. But over the last decades, the situation has changed owing to the rise of China and its growing influence over Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last evening asserted that the Congress “callously” gave it away to Sri Lanka. “Eye-opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu. This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds – we can’t ever trust Congress,” PM Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Doubling down on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge at Opposition over the Katchatheevu island row, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today said Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, wanted to give away the island to Sri Lanka.

Responding to the remarks, senior DMK leader RS Bharathi said the Prime Minister has “no achievements” to showcase . “If PM Modi was keen on Katchatheevu, he could have reclaimed that island during his 10 years in office. Why did not he take up the Katchatheevu issue?” Mr Bharathi said.

The argument has been seconded by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka as part of a friendly agreement in 1974, Mr Kharge added, pointing out that the BJP-led government too had undertaken a similar “friendly gesture” towards Bangladesh on exchange of border enclaves.

New Delhi:

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raking up the Katchatheevu island issue and dared him to take back the island from Sri Lanka if he is “so concerned” about Tamil Nadu.

“Will he take back Katchatheevu if he is so concerned about Tamil Nadu? I challenge PM Modi. They have failed,” Mr Tagore said speaking to the news agency ANI hours after Prime Minister’s ‘X’ post on the Katchatheevu island.

The senior Congress leader further assured that the Congress will raise its voice to take back the island from Sri Lanka if Tamil fishermen in Ramnad district are attacked.

“We are very clear that if our fishermen, our brothers in Ramnad district are attacked, we will raise our voices to take back Katchatheevu. But, in 10 years, PM Modi has failed to do so,” Mr Tagore said.

Claiming that the BJP had slim electoral chances in Tamil Nadu, Mr Tagore said, “PM Modi should stop such cheap tactics. He is being rejected by Tamil Nadu. They will not get even one seat in Tamil Nadu. Annamalai will not even come in the second place. He is struggling for the third place in Tamil Nadu.”

Mr Tagore claimed that the BJP is using “diversionary tactics” in Tamil Nadu since people are rejecting them in the state.

“The problem with BJP, RSS and PM Modi is that people are rejecting them in Tamil Nadu and they want a diversionary tactic,” the Congress leader said.

“Their discrimination towards Tamil Nadu is well known. AIIMS Madurai has not even started, all the projects in Tamil Nadu have not even started. There is only the foundation stone, only one brick is there everywhere…For that, they are raising this issue that had its origin in 1974,” he added.

Explaining the historical context of India giving away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka, Mr Tagore said, “The government of India headed by Indira Gandhi signed an agreement called the Indira Gandhi-Sirimavo Bandaranaike agreement. At that time, to save 6 lakh Tamils… because they are natives of old Ramnad district, this Katchatheevu island was given by the Government of India to the Sri Lankan government. It was done to save Tamils.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusation against the Opposition regarding the Katchatheevu island row stating that the the country’s first Prime Minister, wanted to give away the island to Sri Lanka.

The issue pertains to the year 1974 when the then Indira Gandhi government had accepted the island was a Sri Lankan area under the India-Sri Lankan maritime agreement.

The issue has again resurfaced after a media report based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on the 1974 pact.

PM Modi yesterday shared a statement by late DMK MP Era Sezhiyan expressing anger at the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement signed by the then Indira Gandhi government by which India relinquished its claim on Katchatheevu island and called it “an unholy agreement.”

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, S Jaishankar said, “Today, it is important for the public to know and the people to judge, this issue has been hidden too long from the gaze of the public.”

“… We are talking about 1958 and 1960… The main people in the case wanted to make sure that at least we should get the fishing rights… The island was given away in 1974 and the fishing rights were given away in 1976… One, the most basic recurring (aspect) is the indifference shown by the then central government and the PMs about the territory of India…

“That fact is they simply did not care…,” Mr Jaishankar said in his press conference.

Addressing the press at @BJP4India Headquarters. https://t.co/iiWFiCnPvc

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) April 1, 2024

“In an observation given by the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru in May 1961, he wrote, ‘I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it. I do not like matters like this pending indefinitely and being raised again and again in parliament.’ So, to Pandit Nehru, this was a little island, it had no importance, he saw it as a nuisance… For him, the sooner you give it away, the better… This view continued on to Indira Gandhi as well…” the Minister added.

He put the Congress in the dock for completely ignoring Indian concerns on the island.

“The PM (Indira Gandhi) is said to have remarked in the AICC meeting that this is a little rock. I am reminded of those days when Pandit Nehru called our northern boundary as a place where not a blade of grass grew. I would like to remind them that after this historic statement by PM Nehru, he never regained the confidence of the country. The same was going to happen to the PM (Indira Gandhi) when she says that this is only a little rock and that there is nothing to worry about the territories of our country.’… So, this is not just one PM… This dismissive attitude…was the historic Congress attitude towards Katchatheevu…” Mr Jaishankar said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Doubling down on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge at Opposition over the Katchatheevu island row, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today said Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, wanted to give away the island to Sri Lanka.

In 1974, the then Indira Gandhi government had accepted the island, about 1.6 km long and over 300 m wide, a Sri Lankan area under Indo-Sri Lankan maritime agreement. The issue has resurfaced after a media report based on a RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on the 1974 pact. In 1976, after the Tamil Nadu government was dismissed during the Emergency, another pact restricted fishermen of both countries from fishing in each other’s waters. The harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Lankan authorities is a key issue in the state, and the BJP has raised this with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing the media, Dr Jaishankar today quoted former External Affairs Minister Swaran Singh’s 1974 address in Parliament. “I feel confident that the agreement demarcating the maritime boundary in the Palk Bay will be considered as fair, just and equitable to both countries. At the same time, I wish to remind the honourable members that in concluding this agreement, the rights of fishing, pilgrimage and navigation, which both sides have enjoyed in the past, have been fully safeguarded for the future,” he said, quoting the former minister.

In less than two years, Dr Jaishankar said, there was another agreement between India and Sri Lanka. “In this agreement, India proposed the following: with the establishment of the exclusive economic zones by the two countries, India and Sri Lanka will exercise sovereign rights over the living and non-living resources of their respective zones. The fishing vessels and fishermen of India shall not engage in fishing in the historic waters, the territorial sea and the exclusive zone of Sri Lanka,” he said.

“(In) 1974, assurance is given. By 1976, an agreement is concluded which gives away this assurance,” he said.

The consequence, he said, is that 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained in the last 20 years. In the same period, 1,175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized by Lankans, he added.

The Katchatheevu issue, he said, has been repeatedly raised in Parliament by various parties over the past five years. “In fact, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written to me numerous times. My record shows that I have replied to the current Chief Minister (MK Stalin) 21 times on this issue. This is not an issue which has suddenly surfaced. This is a live issue,” he said.

The Congress and DMK, he said, have approached the matter “as though they have no responsibility”. “We believe that the public has a right to know how this situation came about.”

“We know who did this, how the situation arose. What we do not know is who hid this, what has been concealed from the public,” he said.

India’s claim, he said, is mainly that the Kathatheevu island belonged to the Raja of Ramnad and that he had it from the British era. Later on, his rights moved to the Madras government. “The Indian view was also that there was no documentary evidence that Sri Lanka had an original title,” he said, adding that the Sri Lankan argument was that they have records going back to the 17th century.

After both India and Sri Lanka became independent, he said, there were issues between these countries about using this island. In 1974, Dr Jaishankar, said then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Mrs Gandhi spoke about this on the latter’s trip to India.

In 1958, then Attorney General MC Setalvad said in a legal opinion that while the matter is not free from difficulty, “the balance lies in favour of concluding that the sovereignty of the island was and is in India”, Dr Jaishankar said.

The key people, he said, were of the opinion that “we have a case” and felt that we must at least insist for fishing rights around the island. “The island was also given away in 1974 and the fishing rights in 1976,” he said.

“How did this happen has many aspects to it. One is the indifference shown by the central government and Prime Ministers of the day about the territory of India. The fact is, they simply did not care,” Dr Jaishankar said.

Quoting an observation by Prime Minister Nehru in May 1961, he said, “I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it. I do not like matters like this pending indefinitely and being raised again and again in Parliament.”

“So, to Pandit Nehru, this was a little island, he saw it as a nuisance. For him, the sooner you give it away, the better,” the minister said.

This view, he said, continued in the Indira Gandhi era. Mrs Gandhi, he said, had remarked in a Congress meeting that this island was a “little rock”. “This dismissive attitude was the historic Congress attitude towards Katchatheevu.”

The External Affairs Minister’s press interaction came after Prime Minister Modi targeted the Congress for “callously” giving away the island to Lanka.

“Eye-opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu. This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds – we can’t ever trust Congress,” he said on X, sharing the report.” Sharing a media report that said Mrs Gandhi had taken then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi into confidence with regard to the decision on the island, the Prime Minister said DMK has “done nothing” to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests.

Congress’s Manickam Tagore hit back, calling the BJP’s charge on the issue a “diversionary tactic”. “The problem with BJP, RSS and PM Modi is that people are rejecting them in Tamil Nadu and they want a diversionary tactic… The government of India headed by Indira Gandhi signed an agreement called the Indira Gandhi-Sirimavo Bandaranaike agreement in that time to save 6 lakh Tamils and to save them, this island was given to the Sri Lankan government. We are very clear that if our fishermen are attacked, we will raise our voices to take back Katchatheevu Island. But, in 10 years, Prime Minister Modi has failed to do so. They will not get even one seat in Tamil Nadu by these cheap tactics,” he said.

DMK’s A Saravanan said the External Affairs Minister has said nothing new. “The question is why the BJP is raking up this issue now. Because they are scared, they know they are going to lose this election and in Tamil Nadu, they are facing a rout. The Prime Minister cannot answer the question, why no flood relief for Tamil Nadu. He is now bringing up false bogeys,” he said.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited a media report today to assert that new facts reveal that the Congress had “callously” given away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.

“Eye-opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu. This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds – we can’t ever trust Congress,” he said on X, sharing the report.

“Weakening India’s unity, integrity and interests has been Congress’ way of working for 75 years and counting,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that the decision of the then Congress government at the Centre is why Tamil Nadu fishermen are captured and imprisoned by Lankans as they wander to the island, just 25 km off the state’s coast.

The island was with India till 1975, he said. Tamil Nadu’s fishermen would go there earlier but India’s agreement with Lanka barred them from doing so, he added.

Unfortunately, neither the DMK nor the Congress is raising the issue but PM Modi because he is committed to the country and its people, he said.

The BJP is hopeful that the issue will help the party gain political traction in the Dravidian territory ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, more so as it involves neighbouring Sri Lanka whose treatment of its Tamil people has long been a charged political issue in the state.

The report is based on an RTI reply Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai received on the decision of Indira Gandhi’s government in 1974 to hand over the territory in the Palk Strait to the island country.

The report also cited first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s saying that he would have no hesitation in giving up claims to the island. The issue has been a source of dispute between India and Lanka.

In a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Mr Trivedi asked why he is silent on the issue and said he should tell people that his party and his family are responsible for this.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)