AIADMK's Sellur Raju backs PM's statement on Katchatheevu island
Apr 01, 2024
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 2 : Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over the Katchatheevu island issue, AIADMK leader Sellur K Raju backed the PM's statement, calling it "true."
He, however, questioned the PM for not taking any action in the last 10 years.
After sharing a news article giving a detailed account of events that led to Sri Lanka overtaking the Katchatheevu island, the PM on Monday slammed the DMK and said that the new details emerging in connection to the island have unmasked the DMK's double standards.
"Prime Minister Modi's statement regarding the Kachchatheevu is true. But Modi has been Prime Minister for 10 years, so why has he not taken any action regarding the Kachchatheevu. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi arbitrarily gave away Kachchatheevu to Sri Lanka and Karunanidhi was the main reason," he said.
"Then late CM Jayalalitha filed a case in the Supreme Court. However, the DMK did not follow up on this case. BJP is running a drama to get fishermen's votes for elections. AIADMK will continue to raise its voice to retrieve the Kachchatheevu issue," he added further.
PM Modi also shared a statement by late DMK MP Era Sezhiyan expressing anger at the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement signed by the then Indira Gandhi government by which India relinquished its claim on Katchatheevu Island and called it "an unholy agreement."
"Rhetoric aside, DMK has done nothing to safeguard Tamil Nadu's interests. New details emerging on #Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK's double standards totally. Congress and the DMK are family units. They only care that their sons and daughters rise. They don't care for anyone else. Their callousness on Katchatheevu has harmed the interests of our poor fishermen and fisherwomen in particular," the Prime Minister wrote on X.
PM Modi's statement comes a day after he came down heavily on the Congress party for giving away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka during the tenure of the Indira Gandhi government in 1974.
Prime Minister Modi said on Sunday that this has infuriated people, adding that the Congress can never be trusted. He also accused the Congress of weakening India's unity, integrity and interests during its years of governance.
