'Election rhetoric': Sri Lankan foreign minister dismisses TVK chief Vijay's 'Katchatheevu demand'

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay

Days after Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor Vijay called for the retrieval of Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka to protect the state’s fishermen, Sri Lankan foreign minister Vijitha Herath has brushed aside Vijay's demand, describing it as mere 'election-time rhetoric'.

Addressing the party’s state conference in Madurai, Vijay alleged that nearly 800 Tamil Nadu fishermen fishermen had been attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy in recent years. “To ensure the safety of our fishermen, retrieve Katchatheevu and give it to us,” he remarked.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet briefing in Colombo, Herath when asked about remarks made by Vijay, president of the Thamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam, at a rally in Madurai, rejected the demand by dubbing the comment as "poll-time rhetoric".

The actor-turned-politician also reiterated his strong opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Directly addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: “Revoke NEET! Can you do it, Narendra Modi avargal?”.

Vijay, who launched his political party earlier this year, has consistently positioned himself against the centralised medical entrance exam, arguing it disadvantages rural and underprivileged students in the state.

In 2011, the then Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa challenged the agreements signed in 1974 and 1976 by India with Sri Lanka to cede Katchatheevu. The then DMK president M Karunanidhi impleaded in the case.

The Supreme Court on March 25 allowed DMK leader TR Baalu to replace original Karunanidhi, as the latter is no more. In 2013, the union government argued in the court that no territory belonging to Indian sovereignty was ceded to Sri Lanka, and so there was no question of retrieving Katchatheevu.

The 285.20-acre island, between Rameswaram and Delft island of Sri Lanka, has been a centre of controversy, as the Lankan navy had gunned down several fishermen from Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam.