Tamil Nadu pass reolution seeking retrieval of Sri Lanka’s Katchatheevu

The Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a special resolution in the assembly urging the Union government in New Delhi to retrieve the uninhabited island of Katchatheevu, currently in the custody of Sri Lanka and review the 1974 Indo-Sri Lanka agreement.

Chief Minister MK Stalin introduced the resolution urging Modi to speak of the continued attacks on fishermen during his trip to Sri Lanka, from April 3-6, and also take efforts to retrieve the Katchatheevu island. Though the opposition AIADMK and BJP accused the DMK of ceding the island when their ally Congress was governing at the Centre, they backed the resolution’s demand, the Hindustan Times reported. 

“Retrieval of Katchatheevu island is the only permanent solution to protect the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen and to mitigate the sufferings faced by them due to the Sri Lankan Navy,” the resolution read. The resolution also urged the Prime Minister to use diplomacy with Sri Lanka to ensure that all imprisoned fishermen are released along with their boats.

In 2024, a total of 530 fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy. “These fishermen were given maximum prison sentences or hefty fines on claims that they crossed the maritime boundary,” Stalin said.

“It is a matter of great concern that the Sri Lankan government and its Navy treat our fishermen with such cruelty, depriving them of their livelihoods. The BJP-led Union government must take action to stop it,” he said.

He further said that despite a regime change in Sri Lanka last year, these attacks and detention of fishermen of Tamil Nadu continued. He reminded the assembly that Modi during his 2014 campaign, before he became Prime Minister for the first time, had assured that no fisherman will be affected in his governance.

Leader of the opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) accused the DMK with creating another political drama with this resolution. “They are trying to woo the fishermen community ahead of next year’s assembly elections but people can see through their political drama,” said EPS. “If the DMK’s concern is genuine, why didn’t they table this resolution in the assembly in the last four years of their regime?”

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai accused Stalin’s father M Karunanidhi, who was chief minister in 1974, of “teaming up” with the then Congress government at the Centre to renounce India’s claim over Katchatheevu. “By fully consenting to give away Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, the DMK betrayed Tamil fishermen. For the past 50 years, during every election, the DMK has shamelessly engaged in this drama of reclaiming Katchatheevu, pretending to care about the safety of Tamil fishermen and Tamil rights,” Annamalai said.

“After surrendering Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka with Congress, the DMK remained silent on the issue for decades while merely accepting plum ministerial positions at the Centre. What steps did the DMK take to reclaim Katchatheevu while being part of the central government over the past forty years?... The AIADMK is the only political party that works for the welfare of fishermen, whether we are governing or not,” he added.

Stalin dismissed the criticism, recalling that his father Karunanidhi had “strongly opposed” giving away Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Then DMK MPs Ira Chezhiyan and SS Marichamy had also opposed it in the Parliament, he said.

A day after an agreement was signed on this on June 28, 1974, Karunanidhi had convened an all-party meeting where a resolution condemning the agreement was adopted and he wrote about it to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On August 21, 1974, the Tamil Nadu assembly adopted a resolution against the ceding of Katchatheevu and urged the Centre to reconsider the agreement.

“The DMK government has been making several attempts to reclaim Katchatheevu and uphold the traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen. We have been consistent in our stand,” Stalin said. He added that resolutions were passed in the Tamil Nadu assembly in 1991 and 2013 under rival AIADMK’s regime led by J Jayalalithaa demanding the retrieval of the island. He further said that it was saddening that the BJP government couldn’t find a solution to the problem despite getting elected for a third successive term.

Stalin writes to Modi on delimitation

On Wednesday, Stalin wrote to PM Modi requesting a meeting with him, alongside MPs from various parties, to present a memorandum on the concerns surrounding the proposed delimitation exercise based on population. On March 22, Stalin led a Joint Action Committee meeting with CMs from three other states and political leaders from four other states demanding a fair delimitation.

“As previously mentioned, we urgently seek your time to convey our united stance on this critical issue for our people. Awaiting your earliest response,” Stalin said in a post on X, sharing a copy of the letter, dated March 27, to PM.

CM’s letter on Waqf (Amendment) Bill

On a day when the Lok Sabha saw a showdown between the government and the opposition on the contentious bill, Stalin wrote to PM Modi to completely withdraw it. On March 27, the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly passed an unanimous resolution (barring the BJP) for the bill to be withdrawn. “I enclose herewith a copy of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly resolution and request your personal intervention in protecting the interests of Muslim minority people and preserving the Waqf institutions,” Stalin said. (The Hindustan Times)