CHENNAI: The ruling DMK and its ally Congress on Sunday strongly criticized the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the five decades old Katchatheevu issue now.
Reacting to the views expressed by the PM on the Katchatheevu issue in his 'X' handle sharply, DMK spokesperson S Manuraj said, "Startling that the Prime Minister's eyes have been opened by a news article based on an RTI query filed by his party person and information provided by his government on an issue that is nearly 50 years old."
Manuraj also said after 10 years in government, the incumbent party is afraid to campaign on its achievements and is still busy with opposition blaming. "Either way, this is a woeful and outdated campaign issue," he added.
TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to retrieve Katchatheevu during the past 10 years if he is really concerned about its ceding to Sri Lanka. "Why did Modi fail to protect Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh? China has encroached on many thousand square kilometres of Indian territory. Why is the PM silent on this?"
Earlier, BJP State president K Annamalai tweeted about an RTI reply he received on Katchatheevu and charged that the Congress and the DMK betrayed Tamil Nadu by handing over Katchatheevu island on a silver platter to Sri Lanka in the mid-1970s putting to risk the lives and livelihood of Tamil fishermen.
Reacting to this in his 'X' handle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The information received through the RTI query is 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".
Meanwhile, Annamalai told reporters in Palladam that while the betrayal of the Congress party in the issue was released on Sunday, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's role in the betrayal will be released on Monday. "Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru noted in a file that he attached no importance at all to the little island and that he had no hesitation in giving up our claim on it,' Congress has deliberately transferred the ownership of the island and this has directly resulted in the reduction of India's boundary line,” Annamalai added.
"We are planning to regain Katchatheevu Island. Now, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin claims he will get Katchatheevu back. But he has no moral or ethical standing to issue such statements" Annamalai added.
