Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his stance on the Katchatheevu island issue on Monday, slamming the DMK and accusing the party of double standards in light of new revelations regarding the matter. Taking to X, PM Modi lambasted at Congress and DMK, stating that they are "family units" who "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," he stated.
"Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests," he added.
This development comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong condemnation of the Congress party's decision to cede the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka during the tenure of the Indira Gandhi government in 1974. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed public outrage over this decision, stating that it has provoked widespread anger and asserting that the Congress party cannot be relied upon.
Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi reportedly expressed his "general acceptance" of the proposed solution by the Centre to hand over the Kachchativu Island to Sri Lanka. However, he refrained from publicly endorsing the proposal due to political considerations, News 18 reported. This revelation comes from documents obtained from the Ministry of External Affairs, shedding light on a meeting between the then Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh and the chief minister on June 19, 1974, in Madras (now Chennai). These documents also disclose the opinion of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding the island, which is situated 20 kilometres off the Indian coast.