Statements by Indian leaders on Katchatheevu have ‘no ground’: Lankan minister

Statements being made by Indian politicians about ‘reclaiming’ the Katchatheevu island “do not have any ground,” according to Douglas Devananda, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Fisheries.
His remarks come in the backdrop of an ongoing political row in India ahead of the upcoming general elections. The ruling BJP, which is seeking a third consecutive term, has accused its arch-rival, the Congress, of ‘ceding’ Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.
Reacting to the controversy, Devananda, the Sri Lankan minister, pointed to India’s Lok Sabha polls, which will begin on April 19.
“It is election time there. So, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counter-claims about Katchatheevu. The statements on ‘reclaiming’ Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka, have no ground,” he said.
New Delhi, the minister opined, wants to “secure this place” (the island) so that fishermen from Sri Lanka do not have access to the area, and to ensure that Colombo “should not claim any rights in that resourceful area.”
He also spoke about “West Bank,” an area “bigger than Katchatheevu.”
Devananda said: “There claims to be a place called West Bank, which is located below Kanyakumari. It is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources. It is 80 times bigger than Katchatheevu…India secured it at the 1976 review agreement.”
Kanyakumari is in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. Tamil Nadu is governed by Congress ally DMK; The BJP has accused DMK too of being ‘callous’ on Katchatheevu. In turn, the two parties have accused the Narendra Modi government of “misleading” the people and asked why it was silent on the matter despite being in power for 10 years.
While the 1974 pact signed by Indira Gandhi-led Congress government with Sri Lanka, allowed Indian fishermen to access Katchatheevu without travel documents, an additional agreement, signed in 1976, had taken away this right, India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, remarked at a press conference recently.
(With PTI inputs)