Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 7 (ANI): Launching a scathing attack on the DMK government, BJP leader K Annamalai said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is doing 'pure political drama' by talking about retrieving the Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka to divert attention from the administrative failure of his government in handling the Karur stampede.

'When the whole of Tamil Nadu was talking about the Karur stampede and the administrative failure of the DMK government, the CM came for one night and after that has not spoken about what happened in Karur. To dilly dally in tactics, every time it brings this issue to divert attention from what is at hand. Everyone knows Tamil Nadu BJP's Katchatheevu stand on it', the former Tamil Nadu BJP chief told ANI on Monday.

Continuing his attack on former CM Karunanidhi, he said that the latter 'allowed' the island to be given to Sri Lanka by the Centre, and then protested by filing a case in the Supreme Court.

'They (DMK) ceded Katchatheevu Island without taking anyone into confidence, not even the TN people. In fact, the same Karunanidhi ji as Chief Minister, in confidence, he told the Central government to cede Katchatheevu, and then he erected the biggest drama, he went to the Supreme Court against the Centre regarding that. Now it is an absolute betrayal by the Congress and DMK for gifting away the island', he said.

Earlier on October 3, CM Stalin spoke about the Katchatheevu issue and said that the BJP-led Centre is 'refusing' to request the island back from Sri Lanka, despite a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly.

'We passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to retrieve Katchatheevu and send that resolution to the Union Government. Using that resolution, the Union BJP government should have requested the Sri Lankan government, but the BJP government is refusing to do so. The Indian Prime Minister, who went to Sri Lanka, has also refused to request the retrieval of Katchatheevu', the Chief Minister said.

He further alleged that the BJP government at the centre gets 'bitter' when it comes to 'Tamils and Tamil Nadu'. He questioned whether the centre does not consider the problems of Tamil Nadu fishermen an important issue and asked, 'Are we not Indians?'

In 1974, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her counterpart, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, signed the Agreement between India and Sri Lanka on the Boundary in Historic Waters between the two Countries and Related Matters of 1974, marking the official demarcation of the maritime boundary from the Palk Strait to Adam's Bridge.

The maritime boundary agreement between the two countries extends from the Palk Strait to the Adam's Bridge. It also paved the way for the 1976 pact, which gave away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. (ANI)