Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka during Emergency and not when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power, M.K. Stalin, treasurer of the party, claimed on Friday.
Reacting to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s charge at her election meeting in Aruppukottai that it was the DMK that gave up the right over Katchatheevu, Mr. Stalin, who was campaigning in Madurai, said that the party always stood for the rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen. He termed Ms. Jayalalithaa’s allegation a “blatant lie”.
Katchatheevu was a national issue and not a State issue. The agreement ceding Katchatheevu was signed during Emergency and the party had passed a resolution in the Assembly when it came to power in 2006 for the retrieval of the island, he said. Criticising Ms. Jayalalithaa for not meeting the people to discuss their issues in the last five years, Mr. Stalin said that now elected members of any legislative body and officials were required to go to the people.
