Panneerselvam asks DMK why it did not raise Katchatheevu issue while sharing power at the Centre
The Hindu
O. Panneerselvam & V.K. Sasikala question DMK's inaction on Katchatheevu islet transfer to Sri Lanka during their 17 yrs in Union govt. Jayalalithaa provided documentary proof of Karunanidhi's knowledge, but he failed to prevent transfer. AIADMK urges Central govt to take steps for retrieval.
The AIADMK’s former coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, on Saturday questioned the ruling DMK why it did not raise the issue of retrieval of Katchatheevu islet from Sri Lanka when it was part of the Union government for 17 years.
In a statement, he contended that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had, with documentary proof, pointed out that M.Karunanidhi, who was Chief Minister during the signing of the 1974 agreement on the islet, was in the know of things. Karunanidhi did not take steps to prevent the transfer of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, Mr. Panneerselvam observed.
In another statement, the AIADMK’s former interim general secretary, V.K.Sasikala, also criticised the DMK and urged the Central government to take steps for the retrieval of the islet.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.