On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution asking the Indian government to take back Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka. All parties present in the Assembly supported the resolution. Speaker Appavu announced it, confirming that everyone agreed. Chief Minister MK Stalin spoke about the issue and responded to criticism from Leader of Opposition Edappadi Palaniswami.

Stalin denied the opposition's allegations and said, “We can talk about this resolution now, please don't talk about and create old politics today.” He also raised question on AIADMK’s stance on the issue, asking, “For the past 10 years when your (AIADMK) government was in power, what were you doing? Did you talk about this Katchatheevu issue?” The chief minister also expressed worry about the Sri Lankan Navy's arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu. “Fishermen come under attack, and boats are seized. Union Minister for External Affairs Jaishankar has said in March that 97 fishermen are still in prison. In 2024 alone, more than 500 fishermen were arrested, which translates to two arrests per day,” he said.

Stalin urged the Union Government to take action. “Union Government should stop this and create a permanent solution. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, I have written 74 letters addressing PM Narendra Modi and EAM. Every time I meet the PM, I raise the issue. Retrieving Katchatheevu is the only solution,” he added.

Katchatheevu is a small island located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. In 1974, India gave the island to Sri Lanka through an agreement. However, the issue remains controversial because fishermen from Tamil Nadu are often arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy when they fish near the island. Many political parties in Tamil Nadu want the island to be returned to India to protect the rights of local fishermen.

Leader of Opposition, Edappadi Palaniswami, criticised the ruling DMK for its handling of the Katchatheevu issue. He pointed out in the Assembly that Katchatheevu was originally part of Ramanathapuram Samasthanam until 1948. However, it was handed over to Sri Lanka in 1974 when the Congress was in power at the Centre and the DMK governed Tamil Nadu. “Our fishermen are in danger,” Palaniswami declared. He stated that the matter was still unsolved despite the fact that former chief minister J Jayalalithaa filed a case in the Supreme Court in 2008 and the court issued a ruling in 2009 to reclaim the island. He pointed out a Supreme Court order that "without the approval of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, no land can be given to any country," and added that the subject is still ongoing in court. 

The AIADMK leader questioned DMK’s role in the central government, asking, “When DMK was in power in the central government for 16 years, why was this matter not raised? Why didn't they take any steps to retrieve Katchatheevu?”The AIADMK leader questioned the DMK’s role in the central government, “When DMK was in power in the central government for 16 years, why was this matter not raised? Why didn't they take any steps to retrieve Katchatheevu?” He charged that the DMK was exploiting the matter for its own political ends. “Today they (DMK) have taken this resolution because they want to play electoral politics. Just one year left for the TN Assembly Election 2026, so they have taken this issue into their hands,” he claimed. “DMK is doing drama by taking this issue into their hands ahead of the elections.” The Tamil Nadu Assembly has now passed the resolution, officially requesting the Union Government to reclaim Katchatheevu.