Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retrieve Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka.
According to Indian media, the Chief Minister made the request to retrieve the island which was gifted to Sri Lanka in 1974, drawing the Prime Minister’s attention to the problems faced by fishermen in Tamil Nadu
“When PM came here to Tamil Nadu, I appeal for a few things. We ask PM to get back the Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka to get our fishermen to fish freely in our sea,” CM Stalin said during an event in Chennai.
He also added that now is an excellent opportunity to rescue Katchatheevu Island and ensure the traditional fishing zone and rights of the Tamil Nadu fishing community, in order to find a solution to the problems that the coastal fishing community in Tamil Nadu is facing.
The CM also stated that it is the appropriate moment to reclaim Katchatheevu as a solution to the challenges faced by Indian fishermen and protect their traditional fishing rights.
Stalin’s appeal comes in a bid to end the decade-long fishermen issue between the two neighboring nations. (NewsWire)