S Ramadoss, the founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), has launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the party was responsible for the controversial handover of Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka. In a strongly-worded statement, Ramadoss criticized the Congress for justifying its actions and called on Chief Minister MK Stalin to explain the DMK’s alliance with the party.
Ramadoss condemned the decision by the Indira Gandhi government to cede Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka, labeling it as an unforgivable betrayal. He pointed out that the repercussions of this action are still being felt today, with over 800 fishermen losing their lives and thousands detained. Ramadoss accused former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi of allowing the handover to avoid graft investigations, alleging that he did not take any action to prevent the signing of agreements.
The PMK founder highlighted the contrasting views within the Congress and DMK regarding the handover of Katchatheevu Island. While Congress leaders like P Chidambaram justify the action as based on goodwill, the DMK claims to oppose it now. Ramadoss questioned the DMK’s alignment with the Congress, particularly given their differences on critical issues such as the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the shifting of education to the concurrent list from the state list.
In a separate statement, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss called on the state government to expedite the hearing of the case against online gambling in the Supreme Court. He cited the tragic suicide of an IT employee in Chennai due to online gambling as evidence of the urgent need for action. Despite the passage of bills banning online gambling twice, Anbumani Ramadoss lamented the Madras High Court’s dismissal of these bills and urged the government to pursue a ban on online gambling more aggressively.