Bring bill to take back Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka: AIADMK

AIADMK members in Lok Sabha today asked the government to bring a bill to take back Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka.
"You cannot just say that the matter is before Supreme Court ... Parliament is supreme. How can we not discuss (the issue)? It is part and parcel of the Indian territory. When the agreement (with Sri Lanka in 1970s) had taken place, rules and regulations were not followed strictly.
"You are bringing a bill in Parliament to cede some areas to Bangladesh. Did you bring such a bill in Parliament on Katchatheevu then? You can bring such a bill now," AIADMK member M Thambidurai said.

Thambidurai, who is Deputy Speaker, made the comments after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she would not be able to comment on the Katchatheevu issue as the matter was pending before the Supreme Court.
He was allowed as a "special case" by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to take part in a discussion on a calling attention motion on harassment to Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy.
Responding to the calling attention, Swaraj said government was making efforts to get 38 Indian fishermen released from Sri Lankan prisons, weeks after getting the death sentences against five others remitted and ensuring their release.

"Efforts were made at the highest levels to get the five fishermen (who were awarded death sentence by a Lankan court) released and their sentences remitted. Earlier, Indian fishermen arrested by Lankan navy used to get released after spending 60 days in jails there," she said, adding that the period of detention has come down to even three days.
"This tone and tenor of Sri Lanka towards India has changed after our government has taken over. .... So our tone and tenor towards them should also undergo a change," Swaraj said, apparently pointing towards strident remarks made by some of the AIADMK members.

Thambidurai said the five fishermen, who were facing death sentences, were released by the Sri Lankan leadership because they were going for fresh elections and wanted Tamil votes.