Congress ‘extradited’ Katchatheeva to Sri Lanka without consulting stakeholders: BJP

Chief National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sudhanshu Trivedi. File. | Photo credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (June 26, 2026) targeted the Congress for what it called the “surrender” of Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka during its rule on June 26, 1974, without taking any stakeholders into confidence.

Addressing the media, MP and BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi called it a “black spot” in the entire history of the “surrender Congress”. “It started with the surrender of the Muslim League, the creator of Pakistan, in 1947; then the handover of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) to Pakistan; then Aksai Chin surrendered to China. It almost surrendered Assam to China and also lost access to Mansarovar,” he said.

“On June 26, 1974, the Congress government surrendered Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. None of the parties involved were taken into confidence. Fishermen today are facing huge difficulties because of this. Even the Catholic community, which used to visit the shrine of St. Anthony there, is not allowed to fly the Indian flag on their boats,” Mr. Trivedi said.

Published – 26 Jun 2026 21:13 IST