Public has right to know how Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka: S Jaishankar | India News

NEW DELHI: Exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday lashed out on the Congress and DMK saying that the events approached the Katchatheevu problem as if they “bear no accountability”. He emphasised on the matter that the general public has the suitable to know the way Katchatheevu was given away.
Addressing a press convention in Delhi, Jaishankar stated, “We all know who did this, what we do not know is who hid it…Public has the suitable to know the way Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka, why even the fishing rights of Indian fishermen had been additionally given up in 1976 after giving an assurance to the Parliament that fishing rights of Indians within the 1974 settlement have been safeguarded.”
“In 1974, India and Sri Lanka concluded an settlement the place they drew a maritime boundary, and in drawing the maritime boundary, Katchatheevu was placed on the Sri Lankan facet of the boundary,” he added.
He additional stated that India wants to sit down with Sri Lankan authorities and discover a resolution.
Highlighting the background of the problem, Jaishankar stated, “Within the final 20 years, 6184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka and 1175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized, detained, or apprehended by Sri Lanka. That is the background of the problem that we’re discussing.”
Calling it a “dwell problem” and never one thing that surfaced “all of the sudden”, Jaishankar stated, “The then CM of Tamil Nadu has written to me quite a few instances. And my file exhibits that to the present CM, I’ve replied 21 instances on this problem. This isn’t a difficulty that has all of the sudden surfaced. This can be a dwell problem.”
“It is a matter that has been very a lot debated in parliament and in Tamil Nadu circles. It has been the topic of correspondence between the union authorities and the state authorities,” he added.
He additionally stated, “DMK questions handing over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, claims Tamil Nadu govt not consulted; truth is it was saved absolutely knowledgeable.”

Lashing out at Congress & DMK for his or her angle in the direction of the problem, he stated, “Congress & DMK have approached this matter as if they haven’t any accountability for this.”
“As if the state of affairs is for right now’s central authorities to resolve, there isn’t any historical past to this, this has simply occurred, they’re the people who find themselves taking on the trigger; that’s the manner they wish to venture it,” he added.

Earlier within the day, PM Modi cited a Instances of India report and slammed DMK on the Katchatheevu island problem, saying the brand new particulars rising on the matter have “unmasked” the get together’s double requirements.
The event comes a day after the PM got here down closely on the Congress get together and the DMK for making a gift of the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in the course of the tenure of the Indira Gandhi authorities in 1974. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the Katchatheevu deal has infuriated individuals, including that the Congress can by no means be trusted.