The Katchatheevu island issue has gained significant attention in Tamil Nadu as the state gears up for the Lok Sabha elections. Located just about 16 nautical miles from Rameshwaram, the island has become a focal point of discussion following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks blaming the Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) for ceding Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.
Amidst the everyday activities of fishing and the smell of sea water at the boat jetty in Rameshwaram, discussions about Katchatheevu island have taken center stage. Residents like Edison Aruldas, who has been fishing near the island since childhood, remember a time when interactions with the Sri Lankan navy were not as hostile. “As a child, I remember a navy officer giving bread and jam.
We would exchange food when we met mid-sea,” recalls Aruldas, now the head of the Yagappa fishermen’s organization. However, he notes that the situation changed after the anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka in 1981, escalating into a 30-year-long civil war that ended in 2009 with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
For fishermen like Edison and his peers, the focus is less on who gave away the uninhabited island five decades ago and more on present-day issues affecting their livelihoods. Fishing communities in the area are concerned about accessing Katchatheevu for drying their nets and stopping for repairs, as promised under the 1974 agreement between India and Sri Lanka.
According to this agreement, Indian fishermen and pilgrims were supposed to have access to Katchatheevu without needing travel documents or visas. However, the island was declared a “No Go Zone” for Indians in 1976, leading to tensions and conflicts with the Sri Lankan navy.
The fishermen are demanding the restoration of their rights to fish in Katchatheevu, citing the challenges they face, including arrests and confiscation of boats by the Sri Lankan authorities. The issue has become particularly significant ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, with fishermen expressing disappointment over the lack of action by successive governments.
Regarding the political landscape, Rameshwaram falls under the Ramanathapuram constituency, where former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) is contesting as an independent candidate with BJP support. The constituency has a significant Hindu population, and political parties are vying for support in this diverse demographic. OPS, who is contesting under the jackfruit symbol, is facing challenges, including confusion caused by multiple candidates with similar names.
The AIADMK, led by Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS), has criticized the BJP for raising the Katchatheevu issue now, accusing them of political opportunism. EPS pointed out that the late former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had filed a case in the Supreme Court in 2008 to retrieve Katchatheevu, but little progress has been made since then. The DMK, led by MK Stalin, has raised concerns about the BJP’s handling of the issue and accused them of providing misleading information.
In the midst of these political maneuvers, fishermen in Rameshwaram continue to face challenges in accessing Katchatheevu for their livelihoods. Their demands for the restoration of fishing rights and the return of arrested fishermen and boats remain a pressing issue, overshadowing the political debates surrounding the island’s ownership.
