Misleading People On Kachatheevu island is Cheap Politics | JP Gadkari

So far the most mischievous attempt that has been made in the ongoing campaign for the 2024 General Elections by the Dirty Tricks Department (DTD), of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is to go back into history almost to the beginning of the Independence of our country and dig up an issue settled between India and Sri Lanka amicably more than 60 years ago through an International Maritime Treaty. The 1.9 sq kms of the uninhabited island of Kachatheevu which lies between India Sri Lanka coast, is the subject matter of this mischief. It has been cleverly and cunningly put to the credit of Tamilnadu BJP chief Annamalai "obtaining" the official information through an RTI application from MEA as to which government in India was responsible for settling the claim of "sovereignty" of a country over this tiny island.

These overnight patriots who have recalled the "violation" of our sovereignty after so many decades have no words whatsoever about the down-to-earth reality of thousands of sq kms of our territory being occupied by the Chinese on the northern border of our country. In fact, the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and other official spokespersons keep denying this fact whenever they are confronted with facts about this illegal occupation and violation of the sovereignty of our country.

The mischief appears to be a deliberate attempt on the part of BJP in creating disharmony and a feeling of fake regionalism over a long-settled issue in the minds of the Tamil population where the saffron party is trying to have its own foothold. The only reason of timing before this well-calculated mischief is the announcement of the successful seat-sharing arrangement between DMK, Congress and left parties. This has blown to pieces the hopes entertained by BJP of gaining some advantage which it could not do during 2014 and 2019 elections and the recent efforts of the Prime Minister to woe the Tamil population with his gimmicks having failed.

It is nothing but a desperate attempt on the part of the BJP to once again malign our national leaders, including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi of having committed this "SIN" of compromising the sovereignty of the country.

In an exclusive, the Sunday Times, Bangalore edition dt 31 March 2024, flashed a main headline story of Tamilnadu BJP State president Annamalai seeking information under RTI on the issue of Kachatheevu island being given to Sri Lanka by Indira Gandhi.

The story reveals that according to documents obtained by Annamalai, Pt Nehru in a minute on May 10, 1961, had "dismissed" the issue as "inconsequential" by saying: "I attach no importance to this little island and I would have no hesitation by giving up our claims to it. I do not like this pending indefinitely and being raised again in Parliament" despite the then Attorney General, M C Setlewad opining that " India’s claim were stronger than Sri Lanka’s."

The story further says: "Following opposition pressure in 1968, Indira Gandhi Govt said, "India’s claim had to be balanced with the need for good bilateral ties." In 1974 Govt’s decision to relinquish India’s claim (on Kachatheevu) was conveyed to then Tamilnadu C M Karunanidhi.

The happenings of the day further exposes the extreme desperation felt by BJP. For reasons not too far to seek, without waiting even for a few hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went hammer and tongs attacking late Indira Gandhi for "casually" dealing with an issue of "great national importance". He described this "disclosure" made in the story as of "HOT BUTTON IMPORTANCE IN NATIONAL POLITICS" to mislead the people of Tamilnadu and the nation. He had reacted in the same desperate hurry recently in "supporting" the claim of some 650 eminent lawyers in the country accusing a group of lawyers with "vested interest" allegedly putting "undue" pressure on the judges of the Supreme Court.

This mischief regarding Kachateevu has been committed exactly on the now familiar pattern of arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal immediately after the AAP-Congress seat-sharing deal was announced for Delhi because it again upset the calculations of BJP prospects in SEVEN Parliamentary seats in the National capital.

It is however noteworthy that this deliberate mischief did not go unchallenged. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge while addressing the Ramlila grounds rally on Sunday itself questioned P M Modi about the timing of his "suddenly remembering" this issue and attacking the Congress party.

Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry reacting to the developments on Kachateevu has said the issue was decided 50 years ago and there is no need to revisit it.

"There is no controversy. They (India) are having an internal political debate about who is responsible. Other than that no one is talking about claiming Kachateevu", Sabry said

In any case, people are now becoming used to this kind of diversionary tactics on the part of the BJP being regularly used and they cannot be fooled anymore by such false propaganda.

March 31, 2024