Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Wednesday slammed state Congress president KS Alagiri Selvaperunthagai for praising former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s decision to cede Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974 as a “strategic move”.
Annamalai accused the Congress and its ally, the DMK, of endangering the lives of Tamil fishermen with what she called unilateral and ill-considered decisions.
In a letter to X, Annamalai questioned the Congress leader’s reasoning, saying, “Does Selvaperunthagai realize that the Congress and the DMK strategy has ruined the lives of our fishermen, many of whom are losing their lives due to frequent arrests and loss of fishing boats?” He also criticized the Congress party for allegedly failing to present the Katchatheevu cancellation resolution in Parliament before it came into effect.
The BJP leader compared the actions of the Congress government to the current administration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Our Prime Minister Modi has worked tirelessly to protect our nation’s sovereignty and bridge the infrastructure gap in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East region, which remained neglected during the Congress regime,” Annamalai said.
Annamalai asked whether Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is cooperating with the Congress leader on this issue. “Is the Congress party not ashamed of trying to justify a wrong decision? Does Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin also share the same view as his Congress counterpart? ” he asked.
Katchatheevu, a 285-hectare uninhabited island ceded to Sri Lanka under the Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime Treaty of 1974, remains a controversial issue, especially in Tamil Nadu, where political parties have consistently criticized the move for its negative impact on Tamil fishermen.