DMK Leadership Privately Accepted Katchatheevu Deal Despite Public Opposition
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DMK MP Era Sezhiyan strongly opposed the 1974 India-Sri Lanka agreement handing over Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka, unaware that TN CM Karunanidhi had already agreed to the deal.
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Documents show Karunanidhi was briefed on the deal by India's foreign secretary a month before and gave his "general acceptance".
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Karunanidhi anticipated public backlash in TN over the deal but promised to help keep reactions low-key.
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Other DMK MPs also attacked the deal in Parliament, accusing the PM of surrendering territory without consultation.
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As early as 1968, DMK MP Kandappan had warned India against weakness in standing up to Sri Lanka's aggression over Katchatheevu.