Did Modi raise Katchatheevu issue with Sri Lanka even once in the last 10 years, asks Stalin

Mr. Stalin said that Mr. Modi would have visited the Island nation several times as Prime Minister, but never raised the Katchatheevu issue on behalf of affected fishermen in Tamil Nadu. He wondered if Mr. Modi had at least condemned the arrest of Tamil fishermen and the impounding of their boats by Sri Lanka.

DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on April 2 sought to know whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of the retrieval of the Katchatheevu island with his Sri Lankan counterpart even once during his 10-year rule.

Mr. Modi was now raking up the issue in view of the Lok Sabha poll, he claimed.

Addressing a public meeting at Vellore Fort in support of his party’s candidates, D.M. Kathir Anand (Vellore) and S. Jagathrakshakan (Arakkonam), Mr. Stalin said that Mr. Modi would have visited the Island nation several times as Prime Minister, but never raised the Katchatheevu issue on behalf of affected fishermen in Tamil Nadu. He wondered if Mr. Modi had at least condemned the arrest of Tamil fishermen and the impounding of their boats by Sri Lanka.

“Two years ago, when the Prime Minister visited Chennai, I gave him a list of demands. The retrieval of Katchatheevu was on top of the list. What happened to it,” he asked.

Mr. Stalin countered his critics on the issue by listing the initiatives taken by the DMK in Parliament and beyond. Its MPs had raised the issue in both Houses of Parliament, but did not get a proper response from the Centre, he said.

The Centre was not even willing to discuss the issue including the suffering of fishermen on the floors of Parliament by saying the case (Katchatheevu Island) is before the court.

“As per reports, China has renamed 30 villages in Arunachal Pradesh in its language (Mandarin) claiming them as their territory. Mr. Modi remains a mute spectator for China’s intrusion and Sri Lankan’s blatantness,” Mr. Stalin charged.