BJP seeks to corner Congress, DMK over Katchatheevu

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday sought to corner the Congress and the DMK after MDMK leader Vaiko reportedly accused it of having betrayed Tamil Nadu on "every front" by ceding the Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka.

The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) is one of the constituents of the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

Latching on to Vaiko's reported remarks, BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla demanded a clarification from the Congress and the DMK as to why they deceived people of Tamil Nadu by handing over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.

Last week, opposition leaders were "blabbering in vein" after Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised the issue of Katchatheevu islet, he said.

"Vaiko, who is a leader of the INDI Alliance, said yesterday that the Congress betrayed Tamil Nadu on the issue of Katchatheevu islet. We say Congress has not just betrayed Tami Nadu but the entire country. The Congress and the DMK have betrayed people of Tamil Nadu," he charged.

"Now when their partner in the INDI Alliance is saying so, the Congress leaders and M K Stalin (DMK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister) should explain why they betrayed the people of the state. The BJP wants to know the reason behind this betrayal," Shukla added.