Nehru in 1961 wanted to give up the claim to "Little island" :::::::: Congress and DMK are two parties who approached Katchatheevu issue as though they have 'no responsibility' for it : Dr Jaishankar

   Congress and DMK are two parties who approached Katchatheevu issue as though they have 'no responsibility' for it : Dr S Jaishankar said at a press conference here on Monday, April 1. 

"As if it is for today's central government to resolve it...this has just happened. They are the people taking up the cause", he said adding, "We believe the public has a right to know. The public has a right to know how did the situation come about".   

Katchatheevu island is where fishermen from Tamil Nadu go to fish. But they are detained by the Sri Lankan Navy as soon as they cross the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) to reach the island.

On Sunday too, Prime Minister Modi slammed the Congress for handing over the island to Sri Lanka and also accused the grand old party of "weakening" the country's integrity and interests.

His remarks came in response to a Right To Information (RTI) report which revealed how the Congress government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi handed over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The External Affairs Minister further claimed that "we know who did this, what we don't know is who hid it. We believe that the public has the right to know how this situation came up".

"This issue has been hidden too long from the gaze of the public. The fishermen are still being detained today, boats are still being apprehended, and the issue is still being raised in Parliament. It is being raised in Parliament by two parties who did it," he said.  

"Whenever there was an arrest, how do you think they were released? It is very good to give statements from Chennai, but the people who do the work are us."

The Prime Minister's remarks on Sunday led to criticism from both the Congress and DMK.

While Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked if the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre took any steps to resolve the issue and take back the island, the DMK said the BJP was busy playing blame games with the Opposition and alleged it was "afraid" to campaign on its achievements.  

Further pursuing the debate that's already in the public space, the External Affairs Minister said, "We know who did it...now we are discussing who hid it". 

Dr Jaishankar during the 1970s especially around 1974 when the issue was first taken up for a bilateral agreement, the then Attorney General Setalvad had said, the "sovereignty" of the island in question actually remained with India. 

"... We are talking about 1958 and 1960... The main people in the case wanted to make sure that at least we should get the fishing rights... The island was given away in 1974 and the fishing rights were given away in 1976... One, the most basic recurring (aspect) is the indifference shown by the then central government and the Prime Ministers about the territory of India...

"That fact is they simply did not care...," Mr Jaishankar said in his press conference.

Dr Jaishankar went on: "To demonstrate that if one looks at ... This is an observation by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in May 1961 ... He (Nehru) writes --- "I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it".  

"I (Nehru writing) don't like matter like this pending indefinitely and being raised again and again in Parliament".  

"So to Pandit Nehru this was a little island ....he saw it as a nuisance, why are people bringing it up again and again in Parliament. So for him the sooner you give it away the better".  

"This was not just Nehru's views...this view continued with Indira Gandhi too....". 

Recalling the parliament debate of 1974, he said, a member called G Vishwanathan from Tamil Nadu says: "We are worried about .....thousands of miles away from Indian territory but we are not worried about this small island. PM (Indira Gandhi) told a AICC meeting that this is a little rock...I am reminded of those days when Pt Nehru called about our northern boundary as a place where not a blade of grass grows...

I would like to remind the Prime Minister that after this historic statement by PM Nehru, Pt Nehru never regained the confidence of the country......This is going to the Prime Minister when she says this is only a little rock and there is nothing to worry about".