Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today joined issue with AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa on the Katchatheevu issue and refuted the allegations levelled by her against him in this regard.
The Katchatheevu islet was ceded to Sri Lanka by India through an agreement in 1974, it may be recalled.
In an epistle to party cadres, Mr Karunanidhi sought to know from her what she had done when she was Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006, after taking a pledge in the 1991 Independence Day address that she would retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka.
Referring to her charge that the DMK government had not organised any agitation on the issue, the DMK Chief hit back asking why the AIADMK had not organised any stir on the issue when she was the Chief Minister.
Stoutly refuting her charge that the DMK had prior information about ceding of the islet to Lanka, and he had not moved any resolution in the State Assembly on the issue, Mr Karunanidhi said on August 21, 1974, he had moved a resolution in the House and the AIADMK had staged a walk out without supporting it.
He also referred to the letter written by him to the then Prime Minister, two days after the announcement of ceding of the islet came, urging him to take necessary steps to retrieve the islet.
Mr Karunanidhi also pooh-poohed her charge that watch towers were being erected in Katchatheevu and said the Sri Lankan High Commission itself had denied such reports.
Having a dig at her for her insinuations against him, the Chief Minister said Ms Jayalalithaa’s charges only showed that she was hell bent on opposing the ruling party instead of showing interest in solving the Katchatheevu issue.
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