DMK was a party to discussions on Katchatheevu issue, says Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar accused the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ( DMK) of adopting double standards on the Katchatheevu island issue while addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Claiming the ruling party in Tamil Nadu “was very much a party” to the negotiations between the then Union government and Sri Lanka, he alleged that the DMK had adopted varying positions on the issue during discussions in Parliament and outside.
“I think what is most important is that the people
Mr. Jaishankar feels people of Tamil Nadu should know the truth on the issue.
of Tamil Nadu should know the truth. When the Central government was negotiating the issue, they were actually consulting the then State government, which was led by the DMK, but that was kept a secret. So, DMK was very much a party to these negotiations, very much a party to this outcome,” he said.
‘United stand on PoK’ Mr. Jaishankar also said the Centre would never accept that Pakistanoccupied Kashmir is not an integral part of India. This, he said, is not just the BJP’s position, but the national position. “Parliament has taken a united stand, and every political party of this country supported that stand. The central issue where Pakistan is concerned has been related to terrorism. We are a party and government which have been very clear that we will not ignore terrorism. When terrorism happens, we will deal with it.
That has been our record,” he pointed out.
While admitting India’s relationships with Pakistan and China were “abnormal”, the Union Minister maintained the country’s ties with other neighbouring countries have improved under the Narendra Modiled government.
“We have a competitive, challenging relationship with China. But this is a country [India] which is today confident and capable of advancing and defending its interests,” he said.
India’s relationship with its neighbouring countries, except Pakistan and China, has been much better than it has been for a long time, the Minister added.