Final Up to date: April 01, 2024, 11:03 IST
Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. (File Picture/PTI)
Jaishankar on Monday claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island and gave away Indian fishermen’s rights regardless of authorized views on the contrary
Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island and gave away Indian fishermen’s rights regardless of authorized views on the contrary. Escalating his assault on the Congress, Jaishankar mentioned Jawaharlal Nehru, the nation’s first Prime Minister, needed to present away the island to Sri Lanka.
Addressing a press convention, Jaishankar mentioned that prime ministers corresponding to Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi dubbed Katchatheevu, given to Sri Lanka in 1974 as a part of a maritime boundary settlement, as a “little island’ and “little rock”. He additional asserted that the difficulty has not cropped up abruptly however was all the time a dwell matter.
It has been regularly raised in Parliament and has been a matter of frequent correspondence between the Centre and the state authorities, Jaishankar mentioned, including that he has replied to the chief minister not less than 21 occasions.
Attacking the DMK over its public posturing towards the settlement, Jaishankar mentioned its chief after which Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was stored absolutely knowledgeable concerning the settlement, first reached in 1974 between India and Sri Lanka.
The Congress and DMK raised the difficulty in Parliament as in the event that they bear no duty for it, whereas they’re the events which did it, he mentioned, including the DMK very a lot “connived” with the Congress in 1974 and afterwards in creating this case.
In 20 years, 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka and their 1,175 fishing vessels seized by the neighbouring nation, Jaishankar mentioned. “It’s the Narendra Modi authorities which has been working to make sure that the Indian fishermen are launched,” he mentioned, including, “Now we have to discover a resolution. Now we have to sit down down and work it out with the Sri Lankan authorities.”
He claimed the folks of Tamil Nadu have lengthy been misled over the difficulty and that he was talking on the matter to tell the lots.
(With inputs from PTI)
