Katchatheevu: Jaya urges Modi to reverse stance
3 July 2014 12:38 AM GMT
Stressing that the issue of sovereignty of Katchatheevu should not be treated as ‘settled,’ Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday urged prime minister Narendra Modi to direct officials to file a revised affidavit reflecting concerns of Tamil Nadu in the Madras High Court in a case related to the issue.
A counter affidavit filed by the External Affairs Ministry in the High Court had stated that the maritime boundary between India and Sri Lanka ‘is a settled matter,’ Jayalalithaa said in a letter to Modi.
The affidavit further indicated that ‘Indian fishermen have no traditional fishing rights’ in the area around Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India to Sri Lanka.
‘I was appalled and shocked to read newspaper reports on this. Perhaps this counter affidavit had been approved by the earlier UPA government and the matter was not brought to your personal attention’, she wrote. She had been repeatedly emphasising in her letters to Modi that the question of sovereignty over Katchatheevu should not be treated as settled, she said.
A counter affidavit filed by the External Affairs Ministry in the High Court had stated that the maritime boundary between India and Sri Lanka ‘is a settled matter,’ Jayalalithaa said in a letter to Modi.
The affidavit further indicated that ‘Indian fishermen have no traditional fishing rights’ in the area around Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India to Sri Lanka.
‘I was appalled and shocked to read newspaper reports on this. Perhaps this counter affidavit had been approved by the earlier UPA government and the matter was not brought to your personal attention’, she wrote. She had been repeatedly emphasising in her letters to Modi that the question of sovereignty over Katchatheevu should not be treated as settled, she said.
Next Story
