New Delhi: Katchatheevu island has became a top political issue in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign accused that Congress government under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave away the island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
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! Weakening India’s unity, integrity and interests has been Congress’ way of working for 75 years and counting,’ Narendra Modi posted on X.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also criticised the DMK and Congress on the Katchatheevu island row. ‘In the last 20 years, 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka and 1,175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized, detained or apprehended. This is the background of the issue that we are discussing,’ said S Jaishankar.
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‘In the last five years, the Katchatheevu issue and the fisherman’s issue have been repeatedly raised by various parties in Parliament. It has come up in parliament questions, debates and in the consultative committee. The then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written to me numerous times. And my record shows that to the current Chief Minister, I have replied 21 times on this issue. This is not an issue which has suddenly surfaced. This is a live issue,’ he added.
Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu is not suited for permanent settlement as there is no source of drinking water on the island. It lies in the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka. It is no more than 1.6 km in length and slightly over 300 m wide at its broadest point.
It lies northeast of Rameswaram, about 33 km from the Indian coast. It is about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Delft Island, belonging to Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu island lies on the Sri Lankan side of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
As per records, in the early medieval period, Katchatheevu Island was owned by the Jaffna Kingdom of Sri Lanka. It was later passed on to the Ramanathapuram-based Ramnad kingdom in the 17th century.
From the British colony period, the island is a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka. Both India and Sri Lanka were British colonies. The British, citing the traditional claims of the Ramnad zamindari of Ramanathapuram, had attached it to the Madras Presidency.
Slow claps for Congress!
They willingly gave up #Katchatheevu and had no regrets about it either. Sometimes an MP of the Congress speaks about dividing the nation and sometimes they denigrate Indian culture and traditions. This shows that they are against the unity and integrity…— Amit Shah (Modi Ka Parivar) (@AmitShah) March 31, 2024
In 1974, India ‘recognised’ Sri Lanka’s ownership of the island under the ‘Agreement on the boundary in Historic Waters between the two countries and Related Matters.’ The agreement was signed in Colombo on June 26, 1974, and in New Delhi on June 28, 1974.
St. Anthony’s shrine is the only structure on the island. Under the June 1974 agreement, Indian fishermen can attend the annual St. Anthony’s festival. In 2023, 2,500 Indian devotees travelled from Rameswaram to Katchatheevu for the festival.
Indian fishermen can also come here for rest and for drying of nets. Another agreement in 1976,barred either country from fishing in the other’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Again, Katchatheevu lay right at the edge of the EEZs of either country, retaining a degree of uncertainty with regards to fishing rights.
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