Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has issued a stern response to remarks made by Indian actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, who recently called for the retrieval of Katchatheevu island to protect Tamil Nadu’s fishermen.
“Katchatheevu Island belongs to Sri Lanka. It is an island belonging to Sri Lanka. Therefore, that will never change,” Herath told reporters during the weekly Cabinet press briefing in Colombo.
The minister dismissed Vijay’s comments as electioneering in South India. “Elections are slated to be held in South India and candidates will make various statements in the election stage to obtain votes. This is not the first time. Even in the past, various such statements have been made on the election stage,” he said.
“Statements made on those election stages will not change anything,” Herath emphasised, adding that neither the Indian central government nor diplomats had made such claims. “I saw that Vijay had made this statement at an election rally,” he added, urging that not much attention be paid to it.
The row follows Vijay’s fiery speech at a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Madurai, where he declared: “There are 800 of our Tamil Nadu fishermen have been attacked and killed by the Sri Lankan Navy. I don’t want you to do anything big to condemn it. Just do one small thing: it is enough to reclaim this uninhabited island from Sri Lanka (Katchatheevu), so that our fishermen can be safe from now on.”
The Katchatheevu issue has long been a flashpoint in Indo-Lanka relations. The 285-acre uninhabited island, situated in the Palk Strait between Tamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam, was ceded to Sri Lanka under a 1974 maritime agreement signed by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. A subsequent agreement in 1976 restricted Indian fishermen from operating in Sri Lankan waters, including around Katchatheevu, further heightening tensions.
The cession of Katchatheevu has been a contentious issue in Tamil Nadu politics. In 1991, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the retrieval of the island. In 2008, Tamil Nadu filed a petition in court, arguing that Katchatheevu could not be ceded to another country without a constitutional amendment. The matter gained renewed attention in April 2024 when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the 1974 decision, stating that new revelations about the agreement were "eye opening and startling," and accused the Congress party of "callously" giving away Katchatheevu.
The matter is once again under legal scrutiny. The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hold a final hearing on 15 September 2025 on petitions challenging the 1974 and 1976 agreements. The case, originally filed by the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, is now being pursued by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader T.R. Baalu, after the court approved his substitution as petitioner.
Meanwhile, Vijay’s remarks at the Madurai conference underscore his strategy to position TVK as a key challenger to the ruling DMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. His speech, which also addressed NEET, MGR’s legacy, and Keezhadi, drew loud cheers from supporters and signalled his party’s intent to transform fan-driven enthusiasm into electoral momentum.