‘Can’t Ever Trust Congress’: PM Modi Reacts To Report On How India Ceded Katchatheevu Island To Sri Lanka In 1974

The Congress social gathering has weakened India’s unity, integrity and pursuits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Sunday, reacting to a media report that detailed what transpired in New Delhi’s energy corridors within the build-up to the controversial handing over of the disputed Katchatheevu island by Indira Gandhi’s authorities to present-day Sri Lanka in 1974.

PM Modi was joined by a bevy of leaders of the Centre’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) who shared the hyperlink to the Instances of India article on X (beforehand Twitter) and admonished the Congress for shedding management over the island in Palk Strait. A few of them highlighted views by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was quoted within the article as saying he didn’t give a lot significance to the island and “would don’t have any hesitation” giving up claims over it.

The paperwork, the TOI report stated, have been obtained by Okay Annamalai, Tamil Nadu’s BJP chief, via a Proper to Info (RTI) software.

“Eye opening and startling! New details reveal how Congress callously gave away #Katchatheevu,” PM Modi stated.

“This has angered each Indian and reaffirmed in individuals’s minds- we will’t ever belief Congress!” he added in the identical publish, sharing a hyperlink to the article that pointed to indecision on the Centre’s half resulting in the handover of the 1.9-square-kilometre island about 20km from Indian shore.

Whereas Union House Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress of working towards “the unity and integrity of India”, BJP president JP Nadda stated it was “a part of Congress’ work tradition to surrender Indian territory given the slightest alternative”.

Sharing the hyperlink to the article, Tamil Nadu BJP’s Annamalai stated it was the “first a part of the chronology of the betrayal of Congress & DMK”. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which guidelines Tamil Nadu, was in energy throughout the 1974 handover and within the run-up to it as effectively.

“Each these events selected to align with Sri Lankan pursuits, handed over Katchatheevu on a silver platter & put to threat the lives & livelihood of our Tamil Fishermen,” Annamalai posted on X.

Narayanan Thirupathy, one other senior BJP chief in Tamil Nadu, repeated the cost and took potshots on the Congress and its political ally, the DMK. Thirupathy, too, stated the choice to surrender claims over the tiny island damage Tamil Nadu’s fishermen neighborhood.

Because the controversy snowballed, Tamil Nadu Congress spokesperson Americai Narayanan issued a rebuttal, stressing that his social gathering is dedicated to the welfare of the state. He alleged that BJP leaders have been attempting to divide India via their “petty politics”.

The controversy got here simply weeks forward of the primary spherical of voting within the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, with each the BJP and the Opposition alliance involving the Congress and the DMK eyeing a powerful efficiency in southern India. The BJP’s critics linked the controversy to the upcoming elections, and stated it was being propped up as a ballot difficulty.

What BJP’s RTI Reveals About The Subject

The paperwork cited by TOI report element how Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, pressed its declare on the piece of land proper after Independence when it stated the Indian Navy (then Royal Indian Navy) couldn’t conduct workouts on the island with out its permission.

New Delhi contested Sri Lanka’s declare for many years solely to acquiesce lastly in 1974. The paperwork convey ahead the indecision of earlier governments over the matter.

It cited a minute by first PM Jawaharlal Nehru on Could 10, 1961, who dismissed the problem as inconsequential.

“I might’ve no hesitation in giving up claims to the island…I connect no significance in any respect to this little island and I might don’t have any hesitation in giving up our claims to it. I don’t like this pending indefinitely and being raised once more in Parliament,” the TOI report quoted Nehru as saying.

Nehru’s minute is reportedly a part of a be aware ready by then commonwealth secretary Y D Gundevia, which the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) shared as a backgrounder with the casual Consultative Committee of Parliament in 1968.

“The authorized points of the query are extremely complicated. The query has been thought of in some element on this ministry. No clear conclusions may be drawn as to the power of both India’s or Ceylon’s declare to sovereignty,” the ministry stated within the backgrounder on the time.

Nevertheless, the then legal professional basic M C Setalvad, in 1960, opined that India had a stronger declare on the island shaped by a volcanic eruption.

Referring to the zamindari rights given by the East India Firm to Raja of Ramnad (Ramnathpuram) over the islet fishery and different sources round it, Setalvad wrote, “The matter is not at all clear or free from issue however on the evaluation of the entire proof it seems to me that the steadiness lies in concluding that the sovereignty of India was and is in India.”

This continued from 1875 to 1948 and was vested within the State of Madras following the abolition of zamindari rights. Nevertheless, the Raja of Ramnad continued to train his zamindari rights independently, with out having to pay taxes to Sri Lanka.

In June 1974, the choice handy over Katchatheevu was conveyed to then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi by then overseas secretary Kewal Singh.

Singh talked about the zamindari rights of the Raja of Ramnad (Ramanathapuram) and the failure of Sri Lanka to point out proof to show its declare of holding Katchatheevu.

Nevertheless, the overseas secretary additionally stated that Sri Lanka had a “very decided place” on Katchatheevu and cited “information” exhibiting the important thing island to be part of the dominion of Jaffnapatnam, Dutch and British maps, TOI reported.