Chennai, April 1 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday said that the Katchatheevu island issue is a diversionary tactic by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned the sudden “love” of PM Modi and BJP towards the fishermen.

“The people of Tamil Nadu want to put forth only three questions to those, who, after being in a Kumbakarna slumber for 10 years, are displaying a sudden love for the fishermen for elections. Why does the Union government return just 29 paise out of the Rs 1 paid by TN as tax,” Stalin wrote on X.

"Why has not been a single penny given to Tamil Nadu as flood relief despite the state having faced two natural disasters (the floods in Chennai and Thoothukudi in December 2023)," the Chief Minister asked.

The Chief Minister Stalin also called upon the Prime Minister to respond to the issues he has put forward.

He was responding to Prime Minister Modi’s attack on the Congress ceding the Katchatheevu islands to Sri Lanka in 1974.

Prime Minister and the BJP had put the DMK also on the back foot stating that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had ceded Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka with the knowledge and connivance of then Chief Minister and DMK leader, M.Karunanidhi, the father of MK Stalin.

The Prime Minister has also said that Congress and DMK were family-based political parties and their interests were primarily family-centric.