Katchatheevu row: Did 2015 RTI reply say India did not cede territory to Sri Lanka?
Opposition leaders cited a 2015 RTI reply, which stated that the agreements in 1974 and 1976 did not involve either acquiring or ceding of territory belonging to India, and asked whether the 'change' in Modi government's stance was for 'election politics'
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As India gears up for keenly watched Lok Sabha polls 2024, political parties are engaged in a new row over the Katchatheevu island which Indira Gandhi-led government ‘ceded’ over to Sri Lanka in 1974.
In less than a day, the opposition leaders came up with a counter to hit out at the Centre over the Katchatheevu island issue, citing a 2015 RTI reply, which stated that the agreements in 1974 and 1976 did not involve either acquiring or ceding of territory belonging to India, and asked whether the “change” in Modi government’s stance was for “election politics”.
The response from the opposition came hours after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Monday claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island and gave away Indian fishermen’s rights despite legal views to the contrary.
Jaishankar’s remarks at a press conference were made a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited a media report to assert that new facts reveal that the Congress “callously” gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.
