The AIADMK on Tuesday renewed its demand for the retrieval of Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974, as part of its response to the issue of the Centre doing away with the special status accorded to Jammu & Kashmir. The party said the Centre’s move had fulfilled the wish of former CM Jayalalithaa who, 35 years ago, indicated that J&K’s special status should be dispensed with. Party MP Raveendranath Kumar supported the Centre’s decision in Parliament.
Alluding to the observation by DMK leader T.R. Baalu that Parliament was known for people who had a backbone, Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar criticised late DMK leader M. Karunanidhi who, as CM, had agreed to the ceding of Katchatheevu. “It is they [DMK] who do not have a backbone,” he said.