The Sri Lankan foreign minister has stated that there is no perceived necessity to reopen discussions concerning a contentious island ceded to Sri Lanka by New Delhi 50 years ago. This comes after the previously subdued territorial dispute emerged as a prominent election issue in India.

The party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expected to emerge victorious in the general elections beginning on April 19, has raised the issue of discontent among Indian fishermen. This stems from a 1976 pact between India and Sri Lanka, which barred them from accessing the waters around the island.

"This is a problem that was discussed and resolved 50 years ago, and there is no need for further discussions on this," stated Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry during an interview with the domestic Hiru television channel.

He expressed doubt that the issue would resurface, mentioning that no one had yet raised the question of altering the island's status. The island is situated 33 km (21 miles) off the coast of India in the Palk Strait, which separates the two nations.

His remarks followed accusations from Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, which turned the 285-acre island into a campaign issue, alleging that the opposition Congress party had "carelessly" surrendered it.

The BJP aims to gain electoral support in the coastal state of Tamil Nadu, where the island is located, after failing to secure any of the southern state's 39 seats in India's 545-member parliament during the previous election.

Tamil Nadu is scheduled to hold elections on April 19, marking the commencement of the first round of voting in a series of seven rounds that will conclude on June 1.

India relinquished control of the island to Sri Lanka in 1974, followed by the signing of a pact on fishermen's rights in 1976. However, discontent over the transfer and the restricted fishing rights has led to two unresolved Supreme Court challenges in the past two decades.

Violations of the pact by fishermen from both nations have occurred intermittently in the waters surrounding the uninhabited island known as Katchatheevu.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated that over the past 20 years, Sri Lanka has detained more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and seized 1,175 fishing vessels in connection with breaches of the no-fishing agreement.

Image source: Reuters