Colombo:

Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda said India’s remarks about “taking back” Kachatiu Island from Sri Lanka were “baseless”.

The senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician’s comments came days after the Narendra Modi government removed the Congress party and its ally Dravida Munnetra Kar Zagan (DMK) was targeted, accusing them of neglecting national interests when they ceded Kachatiu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The BJP has also been accusing the two parties of failing to ensure the rights of fishermen fishing in the waters around Kachatiu Island.

“This is election time in India and it is not unusual to hear such complaints and counter-claims about Kachatiu,” Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday.

“I think India is acting in its own interest to ensure that Sri Lankan fishermen do not have access to the area and that Sri Lanka should not assert any rights in this resource-rich area,” Devananda said.

Devananda said talk of “taking back” Kachatiu Island from Sri Lanka was “baseless”.

The Sri Lankan minister said that according to the 1974 agreement, fishermen from both sides can fish within the territorial waters of the two countries. But it was later reviewed and revised in 1976.

Therefore, fishermen from both countries are prohibited from fishing in adjacent waters.

Devananda emphasized, “There are claims that there is a place called the West Bank, which is located below Konyakumari – a larger area with rich marine resources – it is 80 times larger than Kachati Uvu, India acquired it under a review agreement in 1976.” Devananda, the fisheries minister has faced pressure from local fishermen in recent months.

Local fishermen launched widespread protests demanding an end to illegal fishing by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters. They say bottom trawling by Indians harms the interests of Sri Lanka’s fishing communities.

At least 178 Indian fishermen and 23 trawlers have been arrested by the Sri Lankan navy so far this year.

Devananda, a former Tamil militant and current leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, was convicted as a criminal in 1994 by a court in Chennai.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday recused itself from the dispute surrounding the island of Cachatiu.

Responding to a series of questions on the Kachattiu issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent comments on the matter.

“I would like to inform you that regarding the issues raised, the external affairs minister has addressed the press in Delhi and Gujarat and clarified all the issues,” he said.

“I suggest you watch his press conference. You will get your answer there,” Jaiswal said in New Delhi.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)