PM Modi Mentions India’s Lost Island Katchatheevu Island in Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday mentioned India’s lost island of Katchatheevu in Parliament, saying that it was given away by the Indira Gandhi government in 1974. He was speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of No Confidence against his government.
Modi said that Katchatheevu is an island between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. “It was given away to Sri Lanka by the Indira Gandhi government in 1974. Somebody gave it to another country. It happened under the leadership of Indira Gandhi,” he said.
Modi’s comments have sparked a debate in Tamil Nadu, with many people demanding that the government take steps to get back Katchatheevu. The island is strategically important, as it controls the Palk Strait, which is a major shipping route.
The Sri Lankan government has said that it is not possible to return Katchatheevu to India, as it is now part of its territory. However, the Indian government has not given up hope of getting the island back. In 2017, the Ministry of External Affairs said that it was “committed to finding a permanent and amicable solution to the Katchatheevu issue.”
It remains to be seen whether the Indian government will be able to get back Katchatheevu. However, Modi’s comments in Parliament have certainly raised the issue again and put the Sri Lankan government under pressure.
