New Delhi, Apr 1 (EFE).- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thrust a 50-year-old territorial agreement into the spotlight, accusing the rival Congress party of jeopardizing India’s interests by ceding a small island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
During the Tamil Nadu election campaign, Modi’s attempt to revive a historical dispute is seen as an effort to influence voters in a region where his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has historically struggled.
Modi has thus turned the half-century-old agreement into an emotional election issue as he seeks a third consecutive term in office.
The Indian government, under then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s leadership, finalized a maritime boundary agreement in 1974, surrendering a 2-square-km island to Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait, dividing the neighbors.
Two years later, both countries signed another agreement that prohibited Indian fishermen from accessing waters around the island, situated barely 30 km from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Modi revisited the issue fifty years later, accusing Congress of compromising India’s integrity and interests.
In the middle of the April-May general election campaign in Tamil Nadu, known to be a challenging battleground for the BJP, the prime minister also took a dig at the ruling regional DMK party for failing to protect the interests of the people.
Tamil Nadu goes to the polls on April 19, marking the first phase of seven rounds of elections set to conclude on June 1.
“Eye-opening and startling,” Modi wrote on X, reposting a media report on the details of the 50-year-old decision to end a territorial dispute with Sri Lanka.
“New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu,” Modi said. “This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds.”
Modi said that “weakening India’s unity, integrity, and interests” had been the Congress’ governance approach for 75 years.
“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.”
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters on Monday that Sri Lanka had detained more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and seized 1,175 fishing vessels over the last 20 years.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated on X that Modi had raked up the old controversy precisely before the elections to expand its voter base in Tamil Nadu.
Katchatheevu, a small uninhabited islet, was subject to disputed ownership between India and Sri Lanka after the two countries won independence from the British Empire in 1947 and 1948, respectively.
The dispute was resolved when both countries signed an agreement to delineate their maritime boundary, placing Katchatheevu on the Sri Lankan side.
Indian political parties hold varying viewpoints on the issue, reflecting the country’s divisions regarding foreign policy.
While some parties support the island’s cession as a diplomatic gesture and a pursuit of peaceful solutions, others vehemently criticize any territorial concessions as signs of weakness or capitulation to external pressures. EFE
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