Actor Vijay Fishes In Troubled Waters, Calls For Katchatheevu's Retrieval

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assert India's sovereignty over the Katchatheevu Island ahead of his visit to Sri Lanka today. 

The actor-politician proposed a 99-year lease of the island as an interim solution, emphasising that full retrieval remains the only permanent resolution to the decades-long fishermen crisis.  

Vijay slammed both the ruling DMK and the BJP-led Centre for failing to reclaim Katchatheevu, calling the DMK's recent Assembly resolution - urging the Centre to retrieve the island- a "political drama" ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu polls. He alleged that the DMK, which was in power in 1974, was responsible for the island's transfer to Sri Lanka.

The TVK leader also accused the Centre of discriminating against Tamil Nadu fishermen, noting that while their counterparts from Gujarat and other states receive protection, Tamil fishermen face arrests and confiscations by the Sri Lankan Navy. 

The Katchatheevu retrieval demand gained momentum after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to PM Modi on Friday. Mr Stalin sought a review of the 1974 Indo-Lankan treaty and urged PM Modi to secure the release of jailed fishermen as a goodwill gesture during his Sri Lanka visit - demands that were also included in the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly.  

Katchatheevu, a 1.9 sq km island, lies 12 nautical miles off Rameswaram.

Experts say the fish population in the area has depleted, forcing Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu to venture 22 nautical miles into Sri Lankan territory, well beyond the Neduntheevu island, risking arrest. Experts warn that even if Katchatheevu is retrieved, things will not change drastically, but it will give Indian fishermen a slightly larger area to fish in legally.

The AIADMK and BJP have also dismissed Mr Stalin's resolution as "election theatrics" and, with PM Modi's Sri Lanka visit hours away, experts are waiting to see whether PM Modi will heed Tamil Nadu's demand.