Congress ceded Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka 'unconstitutionally': DMK MP Baalu

New Delhi: DMK leader T R Baalu on Thursday said the ceding of Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka was "unconstitutional", and asked the Centre to take steps for its early retrieval.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Baalu said that on Wednesday the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution, moved by Chief Minister M K Stalin, urging the Centre to retrieve the Katchatheevu islet.

Katchatheevu was ceded by India to Sri Lanka by way of agreements in 1974 and 1976.

Baalu quoted a Supreme Court order which had said that ceding of land territory should not be done unless Parliament approves and ratifies it.

"Ceding of Katchatheevu happened in 1976 ... They have not consulted state government or Parliament. Without Parliament ratification, this (ceding of Katchatheevu) is unconstitutional. It has to be retrieved quickly," Baalu said.

Baalu said Katchatheevu is the 'sole bread winner area' of Tamil Nadu fishermen and its ceding is unconstitutional.

Katchatheevu is an islet in the Palks Strait, roughly between Jaffna in Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in India. Since 1921, talks had been held between authorities of both the countries on rights over Katchatheevu. Tamil Nadu had always pointed out that the islet, before independence, had been under the Raja of Ramnad's administration and that Tamil Nadu fishermen always had traditional fishing rights in that area.

Eventually, in June 1974, the island was ceded to Sri Lanka by the Indian government when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. Agreements were signed on June 26 and 28, 1974 and on March 23, 1976. Though over 50 years have gone by since the ceding of the island, it continues to be a topic of debate since it involves the rights of fishermen and the innumerable instances of arrest, assault and deaths of fishermen all these years allegedly at the hands of Sri Lankan Navy and has been a cause of grief for Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister of the day routinely writes to the Centre seeking release of fishermen and release of seized boats.