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‘Who lives on Katchatheevu island,’ asks Digvijaya Singh, Kangana Ranaut slams
Digvijaya Singh's Katchatheevu comment was heavily criticised by the BJP which said it was the same mentality with which ‘Nehru gave Akai Chin to China’.
Amid the row over Katchatheevu island which became a political flashpoint ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday called the issue 'nonsense' and asked, "Who lives on that island? I want to ask this question." On being told about the issue of the Indian fishermen who got arrested going there, Digvijaya Singh said, “Modiji speaks nonsense, without any head or tail.”
Digvijaya's comment came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his public rally in Tamil Nadu referred to the issue once again and said the Congress gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. "For whose benefit was this decision taken? Congress is silent on this. Thousands of fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been arrested for going near that island...NDA government is securing the release of such fishermen and bringing them back. Not only this, five fishermen were given death sentences but I brought them back alive. DMK and Congress are not only the culprits of the fishermen but also the culprits of the country," Modi said on Wednesday.
Statements by Indian leaders on Katchatheevu have ‘no ground’: Sri Lankan minister
‘This mindset....’: Kangana Ranaut hits back
Actor and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Kangana Ranaut replied to Digvijaya Singh's question and said because of this mindset, development could not take place in the remote areas of the country under the Congress rule. "Nehruji's thinking of calling Aksai Chin a barren land is still alive in the Congress," Kangana Ranaut posted on X.
"But this is a new India, where tap water is reaching the country's highest polling station 'Tashigang', high-altitude villages like 'Komik' in Himachal Pradesh have better road connectivity and every home is lit up with electricity. There will be no compromise with the geographical integrity of the country, and the country will definitely give a reply to those who have such thinking," Kangana wrote.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Coimbatore K Annamalai reacted to Digvijaya's statement and said Congress leaders have no guilt for having compromised India's territorial integrity and for putting the lives of the Tamil fishermen at risk. "Congress has to apologise unconditionally to our Tamil Fishermen for such insensitive statements & for the remarks made on our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl, who has been a pillar of strength to our fishing community," Annamalai said.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said every Congress leader thinks of country land as their personal property. "Legal and historical opinion were against giving away the island to Sri Lanka. The island was significant to the fishermen of our country. Now the Congress is justifying this because they have tukde-tukde mentality," Shehzad said.
