Key Points
A war of words broke out, both online and offline, between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on Sunday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the then Indira Gandhi-led Congress government gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka..
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked why Modi did not take steps to get it back during his 10-year rule and alleged that raising the "sensitive" issue ahead of elections shows his desperation.di..
Citing a media report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier asserted that new facts reveal that the Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka..
Kharge said Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka as part of a friendly agreement in 1974 and reminded the Modi government that it too had undertaken a similar friendly gesture towards Bangladesh in exchange for border enclaves..
"On the eve of elections in Tamil Nadu, you are raising this sensitive issue, but your own Government's Attorney General, Shri Mukul Rohtagi in 2014 told the following to the Supreme Court - 'Katchatheevu went to Sri Lanka by an agreement in 1974' How can it be taken back today?.
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