Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate steps to reclaim Katchatheevu. He said this is the only permanent solution to the repeated arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka.
In a letter to the PM, Stalin pointed out that 147 fishermen have been arrested in just three months this year. Last year, the number was 530. He urged the Centre to talk to Sri Lanka and secure the release of the jailed fishermen and seized boats.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution on April 2, demanding the retrieval of Katchatheevu. Stalin reminded that former CM Karunanidhi had opposed the 1974 agreement, which gave Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Resolutions were passed in 1991, 2013, and 2014, calling for its return.