CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday charged that despite coming to power for the third consecutive term, the BJP-led union government has not made any tangible and meaningful effort to retrieve Katchatheevu except using the issue as election-time rhetoric.
Stalin made this charge while expressing serious concern over an unprecedented increase in the instances of the arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy in recent weeks. Referring to the arrest of 25 fishermen from Tamil Nadu by Sri Lanka on July 1, Stalin said the need of the hour is to ease the problems faced by the Tamil fishermen and find a lasting solution to this problem.
Urging External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take concrete steps to find a lasting solution to this vexatious issue, the CM, in his letter recalled the union minister’s statement on June 27 that the genesis of this issue goes back to 1974 following an understanding between the then union government and the state government over the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.
Stalin said the then state government was not properly consulted in this regard; it was the then union government that ceded the island to Sri Lanka completely, jeopardising and depriving the rights and interests of Indian fishermen. In this regard, Stalin pointed out that the DMK-led state government and the then CM M Karunanidhi opposed the Katchatheevu agreement tooth and nail.
Stalin also said the former CM had even filed a sworn-in affidavit before the SC and categorically pointed out that since entire exercises undertaken by GOI are devoid of constitutionality, it cannot be said the sovereignty of Katchatheevu was a settled matter.
Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami wrote on X, “Retrieving the island alone can be a permanent solution to the recurring arrests of Tamil fishermen.”
In a post on X, BJP state president K Annamalai said while ceding Katchatheevu to Lanka, the then CM Karunanidhi was fully aware of the development and was inclined towards accepting the suggested solution. This, Annamalai said, was revealed in the minutes of the meeting between the then foreign secretary and Karunanidhi.
“Yet, his son is lying to people that the DMK was firmly opposed to the ceding. The steps taken by PM Modi has only ensured the lives of fishermen are not at risk unlike the times of the UPA regime.”
Fishers’ arrest: Indefinite strike begins at Pamban
Ramanathapuram : Condemning the arrest of 25 fishermen by the Lankan navy, the country boat fishermen’s association in Pamban commenced an indefinite strike on Tuesday. The association urged the union government to take immediate action to secure the fishers’ release and retrieve the boats. The centre should also take measures to sort out the prolonging issues, they added.