Actor Vijay demands Katchatheevu's retrieval, criticises DMK and Centre for inaction
text_fields
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and popular actor Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assert India’s sovereignty over Katchatheevu Island ahead of Modi’s scheduled visit to Sri Lanka.
Vijay proposed a 99-year lease of the island as a temporary measure, stressing that the complete retrieval of Katchatheevu is the only permanent solution to the ongoing fishermen crisis.
Criticising both the ruling DMK government and the BJP-led Centre, Vijay called the DMK’s recent Assembly resolution urging the Centre to reclaim Katchatheevu nothing more than “political theatrics” aimed at influencing the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections. He also accused the DMK, which held power in 1974, of being responsible for the island’s transfer to Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, the TVK leader alleged that the Central government discriminates against Tamil Nadu fishermen, pointing out that while fishermen from Gujarat and other states receive adequate protection, Tamil fishermen often face arrests and confiscation of their boats by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The demand for retrieving Katchatheevu intensified after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to PM Modi, urging him to revisit the 1974 Indo-Lankan treaty and secure the release of imprisoned fishermen as a goodwill gesture during his visit to Sri Lanka. Stalin’s demands were also reflected in the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Katchatheevu, a 1.9 sq km island, is located 12 nautical miles off Rameswaram. According to experts, declining fish populations in the region have forced Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu to venture nearly 22 nautical miles into Sri Lankan waters, often beyond the Neduntheevu island, making them vulnerable to arrests.
While experts caution that retrieving Katchatheevu may not completely resolve the issue, they acknowledge that it would provide Indian fishermen with a marginally larger legal fishing area.
Both the AIADMK and BJP have dismissed Stalin’s resolution as a mere “election strategy.”