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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday renewed his call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direct intervention in retrieving the Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka, asserting that it is the only permanent solution to end the ongoing hardships faced by Tamil Nadu’s fishermen.

PM Should Intervene Directly: Stalin On Katchatheevu 

Speaking at a state government function, Stalin said he had consistently raised the issue during meetings with the Prime Minister and reiterated that the Tamil Nadu government and the ruling DMK would continue to fight for the retrieval of the island. "We continuously say that the Prime Minister should directly intervene and put a full stop to this issue. I assure our fishermen brothers that the Tamil Nadu government and the DMK will continuously struggle to realise that objective," the CM stated

Stalin also lashed out at the BJP-led Union government, accusing it of lacking empathy for Tamil fishermen and using Katchatheevu issue for political mileage. He alleged that the BJP, along with the AIADMK, was more interested in blaming the Congress and DMK for ceding Katchatheevu in the past, rather than taking responsibility to resolve the current crisis.

The chief minister said: "The power to enter into an agreement with a foreign country is vested with the Union government. For over 10 years now, the BJP is in power at the Centre. So far, what are the steps taken by them to retrieve Katchatheevu? Have they at least ensured that Tamil Nadu fishermen are not arrested by Sri Lanka? No, they have not."

The Chief Minister reminded the public that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution on April 2, 2025, demanding the retrieval of Katchatheevu. He said the state government continues to press the Centre to secure the release of Indian fishermen languishing in Sri Lankan jails and to recover their impounded boats.

Stalin also responded to recent remarks by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who accused Tamil Nadu fishermen of trespassing and ruled out the return of Katchatheevu. Criticising the lack of response from India's External Affairs Ministry, Stalin questioned, “What is External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s reply? So far, there has been none.”