He claims Tamil Nadu ruling party “has done nothing” to safeguard national interest (File)
Bikaner (Rajasthan):
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday lashed out at the Dravida Party (DMK), saying the party was allegedly involved in the Kachathiu island issue from the very beginning.
EAM Jaishankar responded to questions on the Katchatheevu Island dispute at an event in Bikaner, Rajasthan, on Wednesday.
He said the DMK was telling the people of Tamil Nadu that they had no responsibility in the matter and blaming the central government for it.
“…We want the public to understand that what the DMK is saying in Tamil Nadu is that they have done nothing in this matter and are blaming the central government,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
“We are exposing the fact that DMK was involved in it from the very beginning,” he said, adding that the discussions were held behind closed doors and the then DMK chief minister agreed.
“The talks were held behind closed doors and an agreement was reached and the then DMK chief minister also agreed to it… People should know that some parties say certain things in Parliament but take other decisions behind closed doors… …” Jaishankar added.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said that Aksai Chin was uninhabited and stressed that the Congress party had no attachment to Indian soil.
“Secondly… Pandit Nehru said that Aksai Chin is uninhabited and not a blade of grass grows on Aksai Chin… This is their (Congress) mentality towards Indian land… They have no attachment to Indian land. ,” Mr. Jaishankar said. explain.
A decades-long dispute over territory and fishing rights around Kachatiu island has come into focus in the run-up to the general election, with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition engaged in a war of words over the issue.
The island is located between Rameswaram, India, and Sri Lanka, and has been traditionally used by Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen.
In 1974, the then central government accepted Kachatiu as Sri Lankan territory under the Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement.
Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took aim at the Congress Party and DMK over the Kachattiu Island issue. He said Congress had “callously” abandoned the island.
He further claimed that the ruling party in Tamil Nadu “has taken no action” to safeguard the national interest.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
