Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress party on Sunday, March 31, over the Katchatheevu island controversy, following a Right To Information (RTI) report revealing the decision of the then-Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi's government, to hand over the strategic island of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.
Shah said that the "Congress speaks about dividing the nation and sometimes they denigrate Indian culture and traditions," "Slow claps for Congress! They willingly gave up #Katchatheevu and had no regrets about it either. Sometimes an MP of the Congress speaks about dividing the nation and sometimes they denigrate Indian culture and traditions. This shows that they are against the unity and integrity of India. They only want to divide or break our nation," said Amit Shah wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress party over the Katchatheevu row by describing the revelation as "eye-opening and startling," PM Modi accused the grand old party of weakening the country's integrity and interests.
PM Modi dubbed it a "callous" decision and also said that the handover of Katchatheevu by the Congress government has angered every Indian.
Also Read | New Facts Reveal How Congress Callously Gave Away Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, Says PM Modi.
"This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds. We can’t ever trust Congress. Weakening India’s unity, integrity, and interests has been Congress’ way of working for 75 years and counting," PM Modi wrote on X.
On PM Modi's "Can't trust Congress, they gave away Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka" tweet, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said, "The problem with the PM is he makes statements without any references. If any agreement like this was made, we should know what it was... Secondly, what PM was doing for 9 years then? If he was in a position of this information, why was the PM quiet about it all this while? These are selective pieces of propaganda that they fake out. It is all because elections are taking place in Tamil Nadu. All the surveys show the BJP will be badly smashed in Tamil Nadu..."
Tamil Nadu Congress President K Selvaperunthagai said, "...First, you should ask (PM) Modi what is happening on the China border. How many square kilometres of area has China captured in Arunachala Pradesh, Ladakh? Ask him to give a white paper report. He should tell what his government has done in the last 10 years. They have done nothing... "
About Katchatheevu Row:
Katchatheevu Island, located between Rameswaram (India) and Sri Lanka, was traditionally used by both Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen.
The documents, acquired by Tamil Nadu BJP state president K Annamalai through an RTI application, revealed Sri Lanka's persistent efforts to claim 1.9 square kilometres of land approximately 20 kilometres from the Indian shore.Despite its small size, Sri Lanka pursued this claim tenaciously, while New Delhi contested it for decades before eventually acquiescing.
Also Read | How India Handed Over Katchatheevu Control to Sri Lanka in 1974, Shows RTI Reply.
Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, pressed its claim right after Independence, stating that the Indian Navy (then Royal Indian Navy) could not conduct exercises on the island without its permission. In October 1955, the Ceylon Air Force held its exercise on the island. Its stance was reflected in a minute by the first PM Jawaharlal Nehru on May 10, 1961, who dismissed the issue as inconsequential.
In 1974, then-prime minister Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory under the "Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement." The 1974 Agreement regarding historic waters between Sri Lanka and India in the Palk Strait and the Palk Bay formally confirmed Sri Lanka's sovereignty over the Island.