Mody claims 1974 handover of Katchatheevu to SL has angered every Indian

“New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu…This has angered every Indian,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. 

Modi on Sunday (31 March) once again attacked the Congress about its decision to “callously give away” the island of Katchatheevu.

“Eye opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away #Katchatheevu. This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds — we can’t ever trust Congress!” he posted on X.

The prime minister’s post comes after documents obtained by BJP Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai seemed to indicate that Congress never attached much importance to the tiny, uninhabited island, The Times of India reported. According to the report, Jawaharlal Nehru once even remarked that he would not hesitate “in giving up claims to the island” altogether.

This story is not new — the circumstances in which India, under Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership, relinquished its claims over Katchatheevu in 1974 have been well documented. BJP’s Tamil Nadu campaign has, however, made it among the state’s most hot button political topics.

Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited speck in the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka. It is no more than 1.6 km in length and slightly over 300 m wide at its broadest point.

It lies northeast of Rameswaram, about 33 km from the Indian coast. It is about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Delft Island, belonging to Sri Lanka.

(Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-politics/katchatheevu-island-modi-nehru-congress-dmk-9242985/)