Why a tiny uninhabited Sri Lankan island is taking centre stage in India’s election

Narendra Modi is appealing to his electoral base by drawing attention to a 1970s deal signed off by Indira Gandhi. Maroosha Muzaffar reports

Indian fishermen who use the waters around Katchatheevu are predominently from Tamil Nadu (AFP via Getty)

A bizarre row over events from 50 years ago is emerging as a major issue in India’s election campaign. With voting set to begin in just over two weeks’ time, prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have attacked the country’s main opposition for handing over a small, uninhabited island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

Katchatheevu is surrounded by rich Indian Ocean fisheries, and it features a Catholic church, an annual pilgrimage to which attracts devotees from both India and Sri Lanka. It is otherwise unremarkable, and an unlikely flashpoint for parties to fight over in an election that will directly affect the lives of 1.4 billion Indians.

India ceded its claim on the island to its southern neighbour under a maritime agreement signed by the government of Indira Gandhi in 1974. It was a pragmatic decision at the time, but the idea of giving up even a tiny sliver of sovereign Indian territory is now unthinkable to Modi’s right-wing nationalist base.