"Shakuni Like Match-Fixing...," BJP's Kesavan Criticises Congress, DMK Over Katchatheevu Issue

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Calling the Katchatheevu issue a "grave historic blunder," BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan on Monday slammed Congress and DMK for giving the Katchatheevu island in a "Shakuni-like match-fixing", adding that they betrayed Tamil interests and also undermined India's sovereignty and integrity.

The decades-old territorial and fishing rights dispute around Katchatheevu Island grabbed the headlines ahead of polling in Tamil Nadu for Lok Sabha polls on April 19 with the BJP and the opposition engaged in a war of words over the issue.

Reacting to PM Modi's tweet and EAM S Jaishankar's press conference on the Katchatheevu issue, Kesavan said that the RTI documents have completely exposed and unmasked the Congress and the DMK's Shakuni-like match-fixing.

"Today the Foreign Minister has given a very detailed press conference talking about the RTI documents and they have completely exposed and unmasked the Congress and the DMK's Shakuni-like match-fixing.

The double standards of Congress and DMK in giving away the all-important island of Katchatheevu and betraying Tamil interests and also undermining India's sovereignty and integrity," Kesavan said.

The BJP national spokesperson said that Katchatheevu island was part of independent India and the Congress party has always had a very negative and dismissive attitude towards Katchatheevu.

"We know that Katchatheevu island was a part of independent India and the Congress party has always had a very negative and dismissive attitude towards Katchatheevu. Pandit Nehru in the 1960s had said he attached no importance to this little island and had no hesitation in giving up," he added.

He further demanded an apology from Congress and the DMK before the people of Tamil Nadu.

"What has been revealed today is the kind of land that the Congress and DMK have given away. DMK was in state and Congress was in the centre. Both parties knew that Katchatheevu was given away and the meeting happened one week before the agreement was signed on June 26, 1974.

Why this has become an issue, like the foregin minister said is that both the Congress and DMK act before the public, shedding crocodile tears as if they are only concerned about the welfare of the Tamil people.

While they were the reason they were responsible for doing this and this exposure has made people aware of who was responsible for this issue. The root cause of everything is that the Katchatheevu was given away in a Shakuni-like match-fixing by the Congress and DMK," he said.

"It is time that DMK and Congress come before the people of Tamil Nadu and the nation and apologise for this grave historic mistake and blunder," he added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the DMK over the Katchatheevu island issue, alleging the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did nothing to safeguard the state's interests.

"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," PM Modi said in a post on X on Sunday referring to a media report.

He targeted DMK over the issue on Monday. "Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu's interests. New details emerging on #Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK's double standards totally. Congress and DMK are family units.

They 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," PM Modi said on X.

The media report is based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai to his queries on the 1974 agreement between India and Lanka when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister.

Doubling down on PM Modi's charge at opposition over the Katchatheevu island row, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today alleged that India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, did not give importance to the island territory.

"This is an observation by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in May of 1961. He says, he writes, I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it.

I do not like matters like this pending. Indefinitely and being raised again and again in parliament. So to Pandit Nehru, this was a little island. It had no importance. He saw it as a nuisance," Jaishankar said at a press conference.

The island, located between Rameswaram in India and Sri Lanka, was traditionally used by both Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen.

In 1974, the then central government accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory under the "Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement."