KATCHATHEEVU ISLAND
For the last two days name of this island has been figuring in the campaign for the forthcoming General Elections. Now what is the issue related to this island, which has entered into the campaign by the ruling party, the NDA government has started accusing the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi of surrendering this island to Sri Lanka, the island with an area of 285 acre, and which is about 25 KM away from Indian coast in the southern part between Indian and Sri Lanka. The Indian government 1974 signed an agreement with the Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) government and gave the ownership to Ceylon.
Yesterday, PM Modi blasted the Congress Party for giving away this island to Sri Lanka. He was citing a recent report , which is based on an RTI reply Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai received on the decision of then Indira Gandhi government in 1974 to handover this island territory in Pal Strait to Sri Lanka.
Now let us go back and look into what happened in 1974 on the issue of Katchatheevu Island:
- The decision to handover this island was conveyed to then Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi, by the central government, mentioning that the zamindari rights of the Raja of Ramnad, and failure of Ceylon to show evidence prove its claim on this island. However, the Ceylon govt had very determined position on Katchatheevu and cited records showing the island to be part of the kingdom of Jaffnapatnam, Dutch and British Ceylon maps.
- The then Foreign Secretary added that Ceylon during the pre-independence period, had been staking sovereignity over Katchatheevu since 1925 without protests from India.
- The zamindari rights of maintaining Katchtheevu and its fisheries were given to the Raja of Ramnad by British East India Company. This continued from 1875 to 1948 and was vested in the State of Madras following the abolition of zamindari rights. However, the Raja of Ramnad continued to exercise his zamindari rights independently, without having to pay taxes to Ceylon.
- India’s first PM Nehru on 10th May 1961, dismissed the island issue as “inconsequential”. Ministry of External affairs (MEA) law secretary contented that India had a good legal case and that could be leveraged for securing fishing rights on the island, according to the RTI.
Handing over Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka has impacted Indian fishermen, mostly from Tamil Nadu, who often get detained by Sri Lankan Navy. Katchatheevu has become a significant issue during Tamil Nadu’s Lok Sabha campaigns.
BJP’s spoke person hit out at Congress and DMK, saying Indian fisher- men caught by Sri Lankan authorities were lodged in jail and faced authorities, but these parties did not raise the issue. Earlier Indian fishermen used to go out there but after the government handed over the island to Sri Lanka, and now Indian fishermen are constantly facing problems. In that agreement, it was also mentioned That no Indian fishermen could go there. Due to this, many fishermen have been caught and lodged in Sri Lankan jails and faced atrocities. But, neither Congress nor DMK have raised the issue. Both these parties chose to align with Sri Lankan interests, handed over Katchtheevu on silver platter, and put to risk the lives and livelihood of Tamil fishermen.
In mid 2023, without realizing that DMK agreed or never opposed vehemently with then Congress government in handing over this island to then Ceylon, the Chief Minister Of Tamil Nadu requested PM Modi to raise this issue with Sri Lankan President during his forthcoming visit to India.
The fact is that, during the debate on the topic of this island in July 1974, most of the opposition including DMK, AIADMK, Jan Sangh (now BJP) and other parties had staged walkouts in both the houses of Parliament against the decision to handover this island to Ceylon. However, after the agreement was signed surprisingly DMK kept quiet.
Now DMK is caught in the situation, after requesting last year PM to talk with Sri Lanka on this issue. The problem associated with Katchatheevu has come into open, and the parties who are opposing DMK and Congress are going to make this an issue during the campaign of the General Election.
Now the response from the Congress is that “ Katchatheevu went to Sri Lanka by an agreement between two governments in 1974—How can it be taken back? If you want it back, you will have to go to war.”
In the end, without realizing the absolute truth, why in 1974 then Congress government agreed for Katchatheevu to become part of Ceylon, both Congress and DMK will find it difficult to explain general public, that this decision of theirs is gone against the Tamil fishermen of that region.
Let us wait and watch, anymore sparks flying during election campaign on this matter.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
1st April 2024