Is India PM Narendra Modi’s claim over a tiny Sri Lanka island an election ploy?

The row over the island of Katchatheevu, which is under Sri Lanka’s administration, could also potentially harm bilateral relations, Modi’s political opponents and analysts said.

Katchatheevu is located between a district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and another island in northern Sri Lanka.

“Eye-opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu …. weakening India’s unity, integrity, and interests has been Congress’ way of working for 75 years and counting,” Modi tweeted on Sunday.

On Monday, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar backed Modi’s assertion at a news conference, alleging that the Congress government under then PM Indira Gandhi “ceded” Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka under a 1974 agreement and withheld the information from the public.

Since coming to power in 2014, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has faced numerous criticisms for exploiting religious and border issues during election periods to win the support of Hindu voters.

The latest controversy arose after Tamil Nadu President and key BJP member K. Annamalai applied to receive information about the legal status of Katchatheevu through the Ministry of External Affairs’ historical records.

Based on the information, Annamalai claimed that Congress and its ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a political party in Tamil Nadu, collaborated to “give away” Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka based on the agreement on maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait, where the island is located. He had made similar claims over the years.

Several Indian politicians and analysts have warned against invalidating the agreement. Apart from a potential spat with Sri Lanka, other countries could also cast doubts about India’s commitment to honour any