In a rare rift within the ruling DMK alliance, Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Regupathy firmly dismissed TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai’s remarks on the Katchatheevu issue, asserting that it concerns Tamil rights and fishermen’s livelihoods, not political gains.Regupathy accused AIADMK of inconsistency, recalling that former CM J. Jayalalithaa had initially vowed to reclaim Katchatheevu in 1991 but later admitted its retrieval was difficult. He pointed out that in 1994, Jayalalithaa had written to then PM P.V. Narasimha Rao, acknowledging that the islet was ceded to strengthen Indo-Sri Lankan ties, blaming AIADMK for diluting the issue.
Defending the DMK’s resolution in the Assembly, he dismissed allegations of an election-driven agenda, insisting that the move was solely to protect Tamil Nadu’s fishermen. With PM Narendra Modi’s Sri Lanka visit imminent, he urged the Centre to take up the matter, highlighting BJP MLAs’ support for the resolution.
Rejecting Selvaperunthagai’s stance that ceding the islet was a strategic move, Regupathy asserted that the Tamil Nadu government does not endorse such views. Calling the decision to hand over Katchatheevu a “historic blunder,” he stressed that the loss was felt by Tamil fishermen and should not be justified under any circumstances.