Chennai: In a move that has sparked intense political debate, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu has passed a resolution in the State Assembly urging the Union Government to take immediate steps to retrieve the Katchatheevu islet from Sri Lanka. The resolution, supported unanimously by opposition parties including AIADMK, BJP, and Congress, claims that reclaiming the islet is the only permanent solution to safeguard the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen.
The resolution, passed after a heated debate, calls upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold discussions with Sri Lanka’s leadership during his upcoming visit to the island nation. The Tamil Nadu government argues that the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1974, which led to the ceding of Katchatheevu, has resulted in decades of hardship for Tamil Nadu fishermen, who face frequent arrests, boat seizures, and harassment by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Resolution Highlights Fishermen’s Suffering
The resolution, read out in the Assembly, stated: “The retrieval of Katchatheevu is the permanent solution to protect the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen and mitigate their suffering caused by the Sri Lankan Navy.” The document also pointed out that despite repeated assurances by the Union Government, Tamil Nadu’s fishermen continue to be arrested for crossing into Sri Lankan waters, often facing severe treatment.
According to the resolution, over 500 Indian fishermen have been arrested in 2024 alone, averaging two per day. Additionally, the External Affairs Minister himself admitted in March that 97 Tamil Nadu fishermen remain in Sri Lankan prisons.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, while moving the resolution, stated: “The tears shed by our fishermen and the struggles they endure every day cannot be expressed in words. The sea, their source of livelihood, has become a place of fear due to repeated attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy.” Stalin urged the Union Government to renegotiate the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement and ensure that Katchatheevu is brought back under India’s control.
BJP Questions DMK’s Intentions
While the BJP supported the resolution, it also accused the DMK of political opportunism. Tamil Nadu BJP leader ANS Prasad dismissed the resolution as a “political drama” and pointed out that it was the DMK’s founder, M. Karunanidhi, who had “remained silent” when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ceded Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.
Prasad stated: “It was Karunanidhi, facing corruption charges at the time, who for a quid pro quo supported Indira Gandhi’s move to give up Katchatheevu. The consequences of that decision have been felt by Tamil Nadu’s fishermen for decades. Since 2014, Prime Minister Modi has worked tirelessly to protect our fishermen, even securing the release of those who faced the death penalty in Sri Lanka.”
Last year, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai reignited the debate over Katchatheevu by releasing historical documents exposing the DMK’s role in the islet’s ceding. During the Assembly debate, BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan questioned the DMK’s timing, saying: “Why didn’t the DMK raise this issue when they were in power at the Centre for decades? Why now?” Despite this, the BJP backed the resolution, stating that PM Modi was the only leader capable of reclaiming Katchatheevu.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), while supporting the resolution, expressed concerns that the debate had turned into a blame game against the Congress. TNCC President Selvaperunthagai defended Indira Gandhi’s decision, stating that her agreements helped India secure 6,500 square kilometers of maritime territory.
“The historical facts are being distorted. The Katchatheevu agreement cannot be seen in isolation. It was part of a larger diplomatic effort that benefited India in multiple ways. The Wadge Bank agreement, which provided Tamil Nadu with significant maritime infrastructure, is rarely discussed. Why is the DMK silent on that?” he asked.
External Affairs Ministry’s Role
The resolution comes despite ongoing efforts by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to resolve the fishermen’s crisis. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has frequently intervened to secure the release of detained Tamil Nadu fishermen. His office has acted on multiple requests from Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai, leading to the release of several fishermen in the past.
Additionally, PM Modi’s government successfully prevented the execution of Tamil fishermen sentenced to death in Sri Lanka, a significant diplomatic victory. However, the DMK’s latest push for reclaiming Katchatheevu has brought the issue back into the political spotlight.
Political analysts view the DMK’s resolution as a strategic move ahead of the upcoming elections, aiming to portray the party as the defender of Tamil Nadu’s rights. The resolution’s timing has led to speculation that it is intended to deflect attention from other pressing issues in the state, such as law and order concerns and economic challenges.
Despite the unanimous passage of the resolution, questions remain about its effectiveness. With India and Sri Lanka maintaining diplomatic relations based on the 1974 agreement, a legal process to reclaim Katchatheevu would be complex. Furthermore, previous governments, including those in which the DMK was a coalition partner at the Centre, have not pursued the issue with the same urgency.
On March 25, the Supreme Court of India allowed DMK MP T.R. Baalu to replace former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who passed away in 2018, as the petitioner in the long-standing legal challenge against the agreements that led to the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. The case, which has been pending for over a decade, questions the constitutionality of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreements signed in 1974 and 1976.
A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, heard senior advocate P. Wilson, who represented the petitioner. Wilson contended that the agreements signed on June 26 and 28, 1974, along with the subsequent March 23, 1976, agreement and related official communications, were unconstitutional and void. The court has scheduled the final hearing of the case for September 15, 2025, with Wilson indicating that his submissions would take approximately a day.
AIADMK’s Role in the Legal Battle
The legal challenge over Katchatheevu was initially filed in the Supreme Court by the late AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, in 2008. On June 9, 2011, the Tamil Nadu State Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to formally involve the state government in the case. Jayalalithaa, who was then the AIADMK General Secretary, contended that the ceding of Katchatheevu was unconstitutional and severely impacted Tamil Nadu fishermen, whose traditional fishing rights were compromised. She also highlighted the tragic deaths of hundreds of Tamil fishermen at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy as a direct consequence of the agreements.
In September 2012, Jayalalithaa moved the Supreme Court again, seeking an expedited hearing of the case. Critics argue that oil reserves in the Palk Bay, concerns over a canal project, and India’s national security interests outweigh the concerns of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the matter.
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