Amid the BJP’s attempts to reignite the decades-old Katchatheevu issue ahead of the general elections, former Sri Lankan envoy to India Austin Fernando said the party may have invoked a “vote-puller” but it would be difficult for the Indian government to step back after the elections, which is a “problem”.
A widely respected and experienced official, Fernando was speaking with The Indian Express over the phone from Colombo on Wednesday. He said if the Indian government crosses the Sri Lankan maritime international boundary line, it would be seen as a “violation of Sri Lankan sovereignty”, as he recalled Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s statements on the Indian Peacekeeping Force in late 1980s.
“If Pakistan proposes such sea encroachment near Goa, will India tolerate it? Or if Bangladesh does something like this in the Bay of Bengal, what will be India’s response?,” said Fernando, who was Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India between 2018 and 2020.
India had ceded the tiny island of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974. Now, weeks before the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused the Indira Gandhi government of “callously giving it away” to Sri Lanka.
Fernando said: “BJP does not have much of a hold in Tamil Nadu comparatively, so it has sparked off a vote-puller.”
“It seems that this is only rhetoric for the election. But once they have said something like this, it is difficult for the government to get out of it after the elections, because BJP will win. It is the problem. They and we both should think about it,” he told The Indian Express.
“To satisfy the voters of Tamil Nadu, [External Affairs] Minister Jaishankar might say: ‘Well, let us have the fishing rights in the Katchatheevu area’. Whether it can be done effectively or not is another issue. Who would control any issues? Do not tell us it is the Indian Coast Guard,” said Fernando, who has also served as Sri Lankan Defence Secretary.
“If the Sri Lankan government gives in, it will reduce a fair share of northern fishermen’s votes to the government,” Fernando said.
“If the Indian government crosses the Sri Lankan maritime international boundary line, then it will be seen as a violation of Sri Lankan sovereignty. Do not forget that that stance was taken by President Premadasa when the IPKF was here,” he said.
EXPLAINED
Emotive issue in Tamil Nadu
FOR the BJP, the focus on Katchatheevu appeals to Tamil sentiments in a state where regional pride carries resonance, and has been an obstacle in its efforts to make inroads.
Fernando, 81, has held several top-level positions in the Sri Lankan government — including as Secretary to the Sri Lankan President, Governor of Eastern province, Advisor to Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Defence Secretary and Home Secretary. In his illustrious career of almost six decades, he has worked with Sri Lankan Presidents and Prime Ministers from across the political aisle.
Speaking about the economic aid extended by the Indian government during the country’s economic crisis, he said: “I am mindful of the fact that India helped Sri Lanka during the economic difficulty by extending $4 billion and supporting us at the International Monetary Fund. Our government will be thinking of that, so they have to diplomatically keep mum because of such obligations. Because of the current difficult situation in our country and the election environment here, I think this should not have been raised at all. But I understand that for BJP it may be the most opportune time.”
Referring to the Indian presence in Sri Lanka, he said: “The Opposition here is critical of Indian investments and this will fuel more criticism, creating another difficult political environment.”
Former Indian and Sri Lankan diplomats had told The Indian Express Tuesday that the governments in place in the 1970s had concluded the agreement “in good faith”, where both sides had “won some” and “lost some”. Indian diplomats, who have dealt with Sri Lanka in the past, have also underlined that Delhi was able to get access to Wadge Bank and its rich resources.