Explained: The Katchatheevu dispute with Sri Lanka that Modi is raking up this election season

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday criticised the Congress, saying that “new facts” had revealed that the party “callously gave away” the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The prime minister’s social media post was referring to a report published in The Times of India on Sunday. The report cited documents in a Right to Information reply suggesting that Indira Gandhi, the prime minister at the time, ceded the island – situated off the coast of Tamil Nadu – to Sri Lanka.

The documents were obtained by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai through a Right to Information application, the newspaper said.

Eye opening and startling!

New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away #Katchatheevu.

This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds- we can’t ever trust Congress!

Weakening India’s unity, integrity and interests has been Congress’ way of working for…— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 31, 2024

What is the Katchatheevu dispute?

Katchatheevu is a small, 285 acre island in the Palk Strait that divides India and Sri Lanka. Measuring 1.6 km in length and just over 300 m in width, the island is believed to have been formed following a volcanic eruption in the 14th century.

It is located 33 kms from the Indian coast and about 62 kms southwest of Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka.

While the island is uninhabited,...

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