The ruling party has blamed the Congress party for ceding the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. In an agreement between India and Sri Lanka in 1974, India transferred the ownership of the island to Sri Lanka as a friendly gesture to a neighbour. The debate has also raised the issue of India swapping 111 enclaves for 55 Bangladeshi enclaves in 2015.
Katchatheevu Island
- It is a 285-acre island, that is situated between India and Pakistan in the Palk Strait. It is located around 20 km away from the Indian coastline.
- The island has been a point of contention between the two nations since 1947 over ownership and fishing rights.
- India claimed this island because the island was a part of the Ramnad Kingdom in the 17th century. The Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company had leased the island from the rulers of the Ramnad empire.
India-Sri Lanka Agreement
- In 1974, an agreement was signed between the Prime Ministers of both countries- Indira Gandhi and Sirima R. D. Bandaranaike.
- As per the agreement, India recognized Katchatheevu as a part of Sri Lanka.
- However, the agreement provided fishing rights to the Indian fishermen around the island. It also allowed Indian pilgrims to visit and offer prayer at the Catholic shrine, which is situated on the island.
- However, in 1976, another agreement was signed, that defined maritime boundaries and restricted fishing within their respective boundaries. For fishing in other’s boundaries, they were required to seek permission from the respective authorities.
