Digvijay Singh, the ex-general secretary of the Indian National Congress party, considered uninhabited areas as mere land to be disposed of, and PM Narendra Modi criticised his consideration by saying it was a reflection of the Congress’s approach.
On Wednesday, a verbal fight took place between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ex-General Secretary of the Indian National Congress Party, Digvijay Singh. On Tuesday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi poked fun at senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s comment on the Katchatheevu island during an election rally in Rajasthan. Without referring to Singh’s name, PM Modi stated, If no one lives there, does that mean you will give it away? Then what will you say about the deserts? Whether anyone stays here?
In a media report, PM Narendra Modi criticised his consideration by saying it was a reflection of the Congress’s approach. He also added, This is their mentality. To them, an uninhabited space in the country is just a piece of land. They can give away Rajasthan’s place like that.
The dispute over territorial and fishing rights regarding the Katchatheevu island has resurfaced, sparking a war of words between the BJP and Congress parties. The Katchatheevu island is situated between India’s Rameswaram and Sri Lanka. The island was known as Sri Lankan territory by the Indian government in 1974 under the “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement.”
The issue drew attention when the upcoming general elections were ahead. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), backed by RTI documents, claimed that the island was handed over to Sri Lanka under the Congress government’s tenure. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the Katchatheevu matter during an election rally in Tamil Nadu, Singh’s reaction came when he stated that he wanted to ask if anybody lives on that island. After being asked about the issue of the Indian fishermen who got arrested going there, he stated, Modiji speaks nonsense, without any head or tail.
