"No Importance Attached To Little Island": Nehru On Katchatheevu, DMK Accepted Proposal For "Obvious Political Reasons"

Some government documents related to the Katchatheevu island controversy have come to the fore after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called out the Congress for callously giving the island to Sri Lanka.

A note dated 10 May 1961, accessed by News18 quotes our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who said that he attaches "no importance at all to this little island" and he would have "no hesitation in giving up our claim to it."

"I do not like matters like these pending indefinitely and being raised again and again in Parliament,” Nehru said adding that this is not the right time to raise the issue because of conditions in Ceylon (Sri Lanka's old name).

The island, located between Rameswaram (India) and Sri Lanka, was then given to Sri Lanka in 1974 under the leadership of Indira Gandhi after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi accepted the proposal.

Initially, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had protested but the document reveals that "the Chief Minister indicated that he was inclined to accept the suggested solution (of ceding Katchatheevu)."

After the foreign secretary met Karunanidhi, the "general acceptance" came "for obvious political reasons" as the then Tamil Nadu CM "could not be expected to take a public stand in favour of it."

An assurance of keeping the reaction "low key" and not playing it up was also given by Karunanidhi to the foreign secretary. The Tamil Nadu government was "kept informed throughout the negotiations with Sri Lanka".

The negotiations included proposals of a condominium, a line cutting through the island, and a line skirting but none was accepted by Sri Lanka as Sri Lankan press had whipped up public feeling on the subject and made a solution difficult to attain.

The Tamil Nadu chief secretary hinted at strong feelings prevalent in the state to strengthen the central government’s bargaining posture, however, the foreign secretary believed that it had "no effect on the Sri Lankan side."