DMK president M Karunanidhi today once again rejected accusations made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa over the ceding of Katchatheevu islet in 1974, saying his then government had indeed opposed the Centre's move.
Responding to Jayalalithaa's criticism of him in the state Assembly yesterday, he said the 2013 TESO meeting had made it clear that the 1974 Indo-Lanka agreement had been implemented "despite the strong opposition" by the then DMK government headed by him.
"And as minimum facilities, conditions like allowing Indian fishermen to dry their nets and fishing rights in Katchatheevu were included on DMK government's insistence," he said, quoting from the 2013 TESO (Tamil Ealam Supporters' Organisation) resolution.
Karunanidhi recalled that Indira Gandhi had deputed her officials to discuss the matter with him when there was a "situation" for it to be ceded when she was Prime Minister and said he had registered the state's opposition to the move.
On arch rival AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa's contention that he, and not his party MLAs, should respond to her charges against him in the assembly, the wheelchair-bound octogenarian leader asked how can he enter the House as he had been allotted a seat "which is inaccessible.
