Chennai/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attempted to corner the DMK and Congress on the issue of Katchatheevu, which was handed over to Sri Lanka during the Indira Gandhi regime, in Tamil Nadu.

Addressing a rally in Tamil Nadu, a state where Modi is paying frequent visits ahead of Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister alleged DMK and Congress, which are in power in the southern state, kept people "in dark" and did injustice to the fishermen by handing over the island to Sri Lanka.

Modi said, "Congress and DMK have kept the people of Tamil Nadu in the dark. They callously gave away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka and meted out injustice to our fishermen.

"The NDA government has been continuously getting our fishermen released and getting them back home."

"DMK and Congress have not only committed sin to the fishermen but to the entire country," the Prime Minister added.

An RTI filed by Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai revealed how the Indira Gandhi government had ceded the disputed island to Sri Lanka.

Modi had lashed out at the DMK, which was in power back then when Katchatheevu was handed over to Sri Lanka. DMK is ruling Tamil Nadu now in an alliance with the Congress.

He cited a The Times of India report which says the then Congress government- led by Gandhi- had ceded the island to Sri Lankan taking then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi into confidence.

However, DMK MP Era Sezhiyan had lashed out at the agreement calling it an "unholy and disgraceful act of statesmanship".

Hitting out at the DMK, Prime Minister Modi had posted on X, "Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests. New details emerging on #Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK’s double standards totally.

"Congress and DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don’t care for anyone else. Their callousness on Katchatheevu has harmed the interests of our poor fishermen and fisherwomen in particular."

About Katchatheevu

Katchatheevu, which is an uninhabited island, was under the control of British Ceylon since 1921.

Though India never controlled it, the island remained a disputed territory.

In 1974, the then Indian government, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, signed an agreement to recognise Sri Lanka's sovereignty over the island.

In a separate agreement signed in 1976, both the countries' fishermen were restricted from fishing.