Chennai: DMK President M Karunanidhi yesterday asked Tamil Nadu government to obtain documents offered to be provided by members of a royal family in connection with the Katchatheevu issue and submit them along with others in the Supreme Court in support of its plea for retrieval of the islet ceded to Sri Lanka.
The kin of Ramanatha Sethupathy, a former king of Ramanathapuram, had reportedly said there were documents to show that the islet came under their father's erstwhile administration and that they were ready to give the documents in this regard to the Chief Minister, Karunanidhi said.
“They have also assured all support to state government for the retrieval of Katchatheevu... Therefore, I insist that state government gather the (documentary) proof mentioned by the Ramanathapuram royal family and those in its possession and come forward to present them in Supreme Court,” he said responding to a set of questions in party mouth-piece ‘Murasoli.'
Tamil Nadu Government has filed a petition in the apex court seeking retrieval of Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Strait, which was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974 by way of an agreement.
Karunanidhi has also moved the Supreme Court on the matter.
The Centre had recently submitted in the court that no Indian territory, including Katchatheevu, was ceded to Sri Lanka, and the question of retrieval did not arise.
Karunanidhi also lauded BJP MP Tarun Vijay who had recently demanded in Rajya Sabha that Tamil be made the second official language of the country, and recalled that DMK had made a similar pitch in its 2011 election manifesto.
