With India's general election approaching, Modi suddenly turned over old scores and fiercely criticized the Congress party. Modi argues that the Congress party ceded the border island of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974, prompting national outrage. Modi also said on social media: "Weakening India's unity, integrity and interests has been the way Congress works for 75 years. ”
Regarding Modi's move, the US media commented that Modi, as a politician in India, may use this issue as a political bargaining chip to win the support of voters. But in fact, Modi's real intentions have to start with the interactions between Sri Lanka and China in the past few days, but before we go into the discussion, we need to understand what kind of enmity and resentment there are between India and Sri Lanka.
Modi's Kachataivu Island, located in the Indian Ocean, is a small, uninhabited island near the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In 1974, India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement under which India officially recognized Kachatevu Island as belonging to Sri Lanka. It is worth noting that this is not a "cession", but the result of consultations between the two sides aimed at resolving the border dispute between the two countries. Since then, the decision has not changed, although it remains controversial in some circles in India, especially in Tamil Nadu.
【Fishermen fishing on Kachataiwu Island】
Here you may ask: Why did India, which has always been very close to its territory, give up this island to others?
First of all, from a strategic and economic point of view, India saw that the island was of little use and that it was better to give it to Sri Lanka as a favor to maintain its relations with South Asian countries. In addition, India was facing enormous economic pressures, including the energy crisis and inflation, and needed to cooperate with its neighbors to establish good relations to ensure energy supply and economic cooperation.
It is worth noting that although Kachatevu Island has been officially assigned to Sri Lanka, the issue of fishing rights and access to resources near the island remains one of the points of contention between the two countries. Fishermen in India and Sri Lanka often clash over cross-border fishing, which has led to constant consultation and coordination between the two governments.
According to Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, over the past 20 years. Sri Lanka has seized more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and 1,175 fishing boats. The most recent occurred late last month, when the Sri Lankan Navy not only drove away and seized Indian trawlers, but also arrested 21 Indian fishermen, causing panic among Indian fishermen.
[Sri Lankan Prime Minister Gunawardena arrives in Beijing, China]
However, it will not be easy for India to reclaim sovereignty over the island, as the Attorney General said in 2014 that if India wants to reclaim the island from Sri Lanka, "it will have to go to war".
In addition, in terms of diplomatic relations, the issue of sovereignty over Kachatevu Island has resurfaced, which could lead to diplomatic tensions between India and Sri Lanka. The two countries have long cooperated in many areas, including trade, defense, and cultural exchanges. India's practice of "seizing islands" may cause damage to cooperation in these areas. If it is not grasped well, it will even push Sri Lanka to China's side again.
In terms of fisheries, both Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen rely on the area for their fishing activities. If India demands the island's reclaim, it could lead to disputes over fishing rights, exacerbate friction between fishermen in both countries, and even trigger conflict, increasing the risk of a military standoff. But at the critical moment when the general election is about to begin, presumably Modi does not want to take this risk, but just wants to use this incident as a cover to "teach Sri Lanka a lesson".
So where does India's resentment about "seizing the island" come from?
[Sri Lanka has refused to dock mainland research ships]
A few days ago, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Gunawardena was invited to visit China and stayed for six consecutive days. Prior to his visit to China, Sri Lanka allowed foreign research vessels to dock again, in stark contrast to the previous ban on Chinese research vessels under pressure from India. India has been concerned about Chinese research ships gathering military intelligence in the Indian Ocean, so Sri Lanka's move is clearly a blatant challenge to India.
It is worth noting that prior to Gunawardana's visit to China, the PLA delegation had already taken the lead in visiting Sri Lanka, and the two sides had in-depth exchanges on their respective defense issues, and also had a detailed discussion on China's military support for Sri Lanka. During this visit, Sri Lanka made it clear that China is a good partner that can be trusted, and encouraged China to speed up the construction of Colombo Port City and Hambantota, further deepening China-Sri Lanka relations.
And this is not the only thing that makes India unhappy. On the occasion of Gunawad's arrival in China, Nepal's foreign minister also visited China, hoping that China could contribute its wisdom to help Nepal build a railway to the Himalayas, aiming to free itself from India's economic shackles. Watching its neighbors cooperate with China one after another, India naturally has to find a way to fight back, and it is for this reason that it is now rehashing its old accounts with Sri Lanka.
However, both Sri Lanka and Nepal prefer partnerships with China because it respects the sovereignty of other countries, does not intervene in their internal affairs, and is able to provide needed assistance. Therefore, India's attempt to counter China by threatening its neighbors and building political barriers to prevent countries in the region from engaging with China will not only fail to achieve its goals, but will push its neighbors closer to China.