DMK is deceiving people over Katchatheevu issue, says TTV Dhinakaran

CHENNAI: AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran on Friday slammed the ruling DMK party that it has been misleading the people over the Katchatheevu issue.

It had failed to register its strong protest against the Congress government when it handed over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka five decades ago. Now, it is taking up the issue to deceive the people of the state.

In 1974, the Congress government headed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi handed over Katchatheevu as Sri Lanka area as per the Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime pact to end the long standing dispute over the maritime boundaries between the two countries.

DMK was in power when the Congress government handed over Katchatheevu to the island nation. It did not take any concrete measures to stop the Union government from handing it over to the neighbouring country, Dhinakaran said in a social media post. It was in response to chief minister MK Stalin's speech at the Tamil Nadu fishermen conference in Ramanathapuram earlier in the day.

The CM, in the conference, said retrieval of Katchatheevu was the only solution to end the TN fishermen problems and also assured to take appropriate measures to achieve it.

"In a bid to escape from action against the corruption charges, the then chief minister, M Karunanidhi, did not register his strong protest to the Centre when it handed over the Katchatheevu, " Dhinakaran claimed and charged that to deceive the people of the state, the DMK staged a walkout drama from the Parliament.

It is ridiculous to hear Chief Minister M K Stalin's demand to retrieve Katchatheevu when his party was at fault. Now, they are shedding crocodile tears over the issue, said the AMMK leader and demanded the TN government to take appropriate measures to prevent attack on TN fishermen and safeguard their livelihood.