Katchatheevu, a 285-acre uninhabited island in the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka and about 33 km from the Indian coast, has suddenly become a matter of acrimonious debate in India today, as Indian parliamentary elections will take place in the next few days.

There have been claims by Sri Lanka and India, both of which were under British rule for several centuries, over the ownership of Katchatheevu for very long time. Finally, a settlement was reached in the year 1974, when the Government of India agreed that Katchatheevu would be part of Sri Lanka, which means that India gave up its claim on the small island.

While it was thought that the matter had been settled once for all, there has been considerable unhappiness about this decision of the Government of India among the fishing community in the coastal region in Tamil Nadu, who have been using the Katchatheevu island for resting and drying their nets, etc. for several decades.

Meanwhile, some political parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding that Katchatheevu should be claimed back by India. This thoughtless demand has not been considered by the Government of India and obviously, this demand cannot be considered in........

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