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You have conveniently forgotten about DMK party's contention.

Gupta is full of lies. The seasonal Church was built by Indian fishermen. After giving away of the island the church administration was taken over by Jaffna Diocese to ensure the ownership of srilanka is entrenched.

As usual SG is giving counter fire for congress & allies. Another payback for the award given to him by congress!

Will give your 1 cents land to other? Why you have to defend it so much by its size?

Nehru called Ladakh Barren Land. He didn't feel a bit guilty for losing Aksai Chin. We were about to lose Arunachal but thank USA, China retreated from Arunachal. His words on this island is "I have no attachment on this insignificant island"... He has no attachment as if it's his baap k property. If there was no Sardar Patel, he'd have donated Lakshadweep to Pakistan & Andaman Nicobar to Indonesia because he doesn't have attachment.... Wow, what a blunderous first PM we had & shame on those who glorify him.

For Gupta ji, whenever Congress is in the wrong (which is a lot), everything is complex & nuanced. But when it comes to BJP, he's very clear in BJP's criticism, at every opportunity. He is too biased now to report fairly & in a balanced way on Indian politics. The island can be two football fields size, that does not matter. What matters is that it gives Territorial sea zone extending 12 nautical miles from the island baseline & another contiguous zone the area extending 24 nm. from the baseline. Thats why China builds small artificial islands, it allows you to extend your border way beyond & corner fishing territories. Now the Indian Tamils fishermen get arrested because of this cowardice of the Congress corrupt politicians. Gupta ji, however, will never mention that.

Extreamely misleading CTC. 1) DMK has been sounding the bugle against Modi Govt for Katchatheevu despite Stalin's father complacent in the "sale" of the island. 2) The land swap with Bangladesh was ratified in the parliament. No such procedures were followed in case of Katchathhevu. 3) What about the 200 nautical miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that could have come withe island? Overall, a hurried episode with very little facts and research. Expect better standards from thePrint.

Indira sold and Karunanidhi took cut from it.

Disingenuous, People are not stupid, it is not what you say the 200 acres, it is the 200 nautical miles around the island that becomes your exclusive zone, so stop lying. Also Stalin has been blaming Modi govt for trouble of fisherman, when his own father knew this land had been given away. It must be acknowledged that srilankan blackmail worked. It is closer to Rameshwaram town in TN , only 15 kms, than to nearest srilankan town, 40 kms away

Katchatheevu was sovereign land of Raja of Ramnad Sethupathi for over 150 years. Ramnad fishermen has been using the empty island for thousands of years. Now Indian Maritime border is changed forever

Kashmir to kanyakumari and kuch to Arunachal Pradesh, Nehru and THE FAMILY did uncorrectable historical mistakes. Because of this India still suffering.

I started watching, but stopped and read the comments first. I guess I'll skip this episode. Thank you all for saving my precious 39 minutes!

Need to cover Christian conversion angle in this issue

Sins of the past catching up with Congress. At least the American Indians got $24 from Henry Hudson for all Manhatten Island. India didn't even get that much for Katchatheevu island. 😂

You have been selective...recalling a church in Katchatheeve when historically the Pandyas, Cholas and Cheras have often controlled Sri Lanka for long periods. The statements of Nehru suggest HE ONLY decides what India should or shouldn't own completely disregarding the strategic aspect !!! BTW besides Aksai Chin Nehru also gave away the UN security council seat, offered initially to India, to China and those decisions are hurting us now.

How many Indian Fishermen were killed due to giving away Katchatheevu? Answer = 800 Fishermen

SG is totally off the mark on this issue. Trying to justify Congress and DMK decisions is like not understanding and appreciating what has been compromised for good at the expense of the national interest. To add salt to the wound, this whole agreement was kept hush hush and not ratified by Parliament.

Nothing grows there is a very familiar statement.The same argument was used by Nehru to explain the area annexed by China in 50s.

The real question why DMK has been doing drama on Katchatheevu for all these years if it was complacent in its "handover". It's not whether the piece of land was small or large, it's about why nation was not taken into confidence? Even our map is fake. Aksai Chin is occupied by China while a 1/3rd of Kashmir is with Pak. Congress has been DECEIVING the nation. There are a MILLION PROBLEMS with the BJP but Congress regimes have always been KLEPTOCRACY+Gandhi family OLIGARCHY

The comments are more interesting than SG’s commentary

The size of the Island is not the matter. The change in Maritime border due to Katchatheevu is the key.

Full confused after listening for 25 mins. What exactly he wanted to say ?🤔🤔🤔

At 3.03 min he said "just to visualize in perspective Kachchathevu is length of 3 football field and width of 1 cricket field approx" Now let's do some calculation for #factcheck Football field Length = 110mtr so l = 110 x 2 = 220 mtr or 0.22 km Cricket field width = 150 mtr. Therefore w = 150 mtr or 0.15 km Area = l x w; 0.22 x 0.15 = 0.033 Sq Km. This is how Shekar Kutta fools people and tries to whitewash all sins committed by Nehruvian congress.. 1 Sq km area is exactly 1km length and 1 km width. All Indians knows how long is 1 Km

What is your compulsion to defend Indira’s decision so hard? It failed badly

The subject of the matter is about the hypocrisy of congress and DMK which is the issue in contention which I thought you would be talking about with all the integrity.

Giving away katchatheevu has shrinked India’s Maritime border and resulted in killing of over 800 Indian fishermen by Srilankan Navy over past 40 years.

No doubt that BJP is picking up these issues for political benefit especially in Tamil Nadu but no one can deny that it’s DMK who always used the Katchatheevu island to attack central government especially on fishermen detention. The only difference is that DMK always used lies and propaganda whereas BJP this time came up with truth and documented agreements.

The half-lies are truly dangerous. Firstly, no law or treaty demarcated Indo-Ceylon Border from the days of British Raj. As such, the border was not finalised. Secondly, Katchatheevu was exchanged for Wadge Bank as Wadge Bank was far more strategic location for India from which countless fishermen upto this day earn their livelihood and is also rich in petroleum resources. Thirdly, Parliament was not consulted as there was not constitutional agreement over the sovereignty of Katchatheevu unlike parts in West Bengal. It was an undemarcated border in the case of India and then Ceylon. So from all reasons, strategic, ethical and national, Katchatheevu in return for Wadge Bank was of a great benefit to India

It is beating around the bush.... 26mnts over and I am not able make out what you are trying to tell 😢

Indian Maritime border changed unfavourably for India due to giving away of Katchatheevu. The Indian fishermen lost the traditional fishing water. 100s of fishermen were shot dead by SL Navy in 40 years.

If this island was under king of rameshwaram. Then india should have taken control of it. That's it. No negotiation. In many a cases our foolish leaders have ceased a lot of territories to other countries🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Congress subscribed to SG KZfaq channel😂😂

Off late, 80% of the comments highlight the poor positioning of Print/SG to an issue and the biased leaning towards opposition. And they call themselves unhyphenated

This (narration/response from INC etc.) is what makes neutral people like me NOT to support INC(opposition parties)- We try to show there is something to do with immigration (issues)which should also be considered with this handing over of Island to Srilanka (AS if the then Govts. tried to balance between these 2 issues). I do understand the Govt's complex situation (in balancing both). My point is - Nehru/Indira never showed (in their comments on this island) any such kind of balance approach.They clearly showed as if this is a small island that we need not bother.For their mindset/thoughts, DMK/Karunanidhi also tried his own politics and everyone tried their BEST in their comments/ actions in handling the situation, as if this island is useless. Even now, INC/DMK tried to take political mileage (till this is CLEAR now to Indians) on this till now as if NDA govt. is responsible for this issue and they are NOT even showing any remorse for such comments/actions at that time and shamelessly still supporting then(taken) actions. People like me, who are rational, cannot accept such attitude and one reason why we can't trust this opposition (whenever we try our best to listen to them at least).

Don't add your Gyan in the pretext of giving explanation. The documents speak for itself. Most of what you said under the guise of cutting the clutter is not said in the documents.

Gandhi dynasty gave away our holy land like it was their baap ka maal. From PoK to Aksai Chin to Coco Island to Kacchathevu. Never vote this anti-national party

Comments are more than enough to understand the TRUTH... !!!

Congress never thought ghosts from the past will haunt them like this

It is similar to how Indira Gandhi added the words "Secular and Socialist" in the Preamble without any discussions. Indira was the ONLY dictator India ever had

But why should DMK demand Modi to get back Katchatteevu and write letter to PM every now and then.?You are pro DMK and anti Modi as usual.

This is an excellent episode. The details and the background and everything is something that one other media covers. Hats off to The Print and Shekhar Gupta. You guys are awesome.

Shekhar Gupta should also clarify that Indira Gandhi imposed emergency in 1975 and it continued till 1977. The 1976 pact was signed when the parliament was practically dysfunctional. Those were feudal times in a manner of speaking.

If it was some Sheikh they would have built a nice resort on that island.. Created wealth for people around it. It would have been a unique resort serving exotic fresh sea food and water sports like sailing. Nothing grows here.. If Americans had thought like that we would not see Las Vegas.

Literally how a family changed the Indian boarder in single handedly, Coco Islands, Akshay chin, POK, and this Island.

At 8:45, please make a whole new episode or series on this as you did with operation Bluestar & the Nalli massacre.

Stalin wrote letter to Modi complaining about this, so it is now used against India llaince in Tamil Nadu

Thank you Sir. Now got the whole picture.

This issue came up as Stalin asked Modi to get back this island. This is now Modi's answer to Stalin.. both Congress and DMK are complicit in this issue.

Isnt it funny that the palk straight is called Adams bridge... There is no relevance to some Adam in this region whatsoever. Just because some westener named it doesn't mean we need to accept it.

Sekar gupta's racist attitude towards tamils and tamilnadu is well known.

Thank you shekar sir for thevinformative video on kuchatevu.

Issue is that DMK has been making this an issue blaming centre but the reality is that they were complicit

loving these long episodes

At 23:45, SG is wrong on Sri Lanka's Independence timeline. Sri Lanka earned its independence on 4 February 1948, when it became Dominion of Ceylon with British Commonwealth. And on 22 May 1972, it became a republic and renamed to Sri Lanka as we know today

Any long time viewer of this channel will conclude that SG is pro INC and anti BJP but he hides behind a cloak of a claimed unhyphenated journalism and good acting skills. Initially he was very good at this drama and we used to say that SG can become the director of National School of Drama. But off late his acting skills are giving way perhaps he needs to enrol as a student at Nation School of Drama to refresh his skills.

There was the newly formed PRC which was keen in capturing strategic territories like Tibet and Xinjiang while there was another New Republic of India wherein Prime minister "gifted territories" Katchatheevu, Cocos Island, those 12 villages in Punjab given to Pakistan for Hussainiwala, etc

There may be 1000 issues between India and Sri Lanka - each issue should be dealt on its merit. The documents prove that DMK and Congress acted in one manner and postured before Tamils for votes in another manner. This attempt to fool simple people must be brought to light

Mr. Shekarji, what happens if CHina take over katchathhevu for 99 years from SriLanka in lieu of pending loan payments?

It is all good and fair that the current (BJP) government clarified the Katchatheevu island controversy. One may call it a politically motivated move but nevertheless the citizens have all the rights to know. What we need is a system like 'Automatic declassification' of USA by which classified information becomes declassified after expiration of a maximum time frame for classification which is usually 25 years. How can previous governments even dare to think about hiding such dealings from the public and keep misleading their voters for years! Also, ThePrint should have called out DMK in this video. A. India’s need for an automatic declassification system, akin to the one used in the United States, is multifaceted. Here are some key reasons: 1. Objective Assessment of Military History: Declassification allows for a more objective assessment of India’s military history. By making historical records accessible, policymakers can make informed decisions regarding military security and strategy. 2. De-Politicization of Military Events: A more liberalized declassification system helps de-politicize military events, including wars India has fought. This move can prevent the use of national security concerns as a pretext to withhold information. 3. Transparency and Accountability: Automatic declassification promotes transparency and accountability. Citizens have a right to know about significant historical events, and declassifying records ensures that information is not unduly hidden. 4. International Norms: Several democratic countries follow automatic declassification practices. By adopting a similar approach, India aligns itself with international norms and best practices. While India has made strides in this direction, there’s still room for improvement. The recent announcement by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that war records will be archived and declassified every 25 years is a positive step. B. Controversial Topics and Historical Figures: Citizens of India are keenly interested in uncovering details about certain historical figures. Here are two notable examples: 1. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: - Netaji Bose’s mysterious disappearance and subsequent death have fueled speculation and intrigue. Researchers have produced forensic face-mapping evidence suggesting that he may have been alive even after his alleged plane crash. A man photographed with former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri during the Indo-Pak peace talks in Tashkent in 1966 bears a strong resemblance to Netaji. If these photographs indeed depict Netaji, they challenge existing theories about his fate. - The Henderson Brooks Report, which investigated the 1962 Sino-India boundary war, remains classified. Its declassification could shed light on critical events . 2. Lal Bahadur Shastri: - Shastri’s sudden death in Tashkent in 1966 has also sparked controversy. His grandson recalled that Shastri had hinted at revealing something significant upon his return. The face-mapping report connecting him to Netaji adds another layer of intrigue. - Details surrounding Shastri’s demise remain a subject of public interest, and citizens seek transparency regarding the circumstances. In summary, India’s pursuit of transparency through declassification and the curiosity surrounding historical figures & issues like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Lal Bahadur Shastri underscore the importance of accessible information for informed discourse and understanding of the past.

thanks shekhar for elaboration.

You are wrong. It’s not BJP creating this issue, this is created by DMK and they did publish this part of their election manifesto. Better know the truth before you say something like this in public forums.

Thanks Shekhar for facts.

Kudos to Mr Shekhar Gupta !! Always look forward to his videos on getting the most accurate & objective analysis of various topics !!

Shekar gupta ji i listen you & i am requesting you that you will definitely make one video on ....how china named 30 places in arunachal pradesh

This is why srilanka should be more cautious when making deals with india.... rather do not make deals...😂

English subtitles do not match with actual words spoken.

Sir, Whenever there’s an issue in news; I always wait for the episode of cut the clutter. Your well researched explanation of the subject gives me a clear picture of the issue. You are an inspiration in the world of journalism, unbiased and without a label. Good old journalism.

Thanks Mr SG Whatever it may be the then successive governments didn't show farsightedness as far as political and security matters are concerned.

Battle for Kachchaitheevu and Fishing rights. During the mid-1970s the area was restricted by the signing of a maritime boundary agreement of 1974 and 1976 between India and Sri Lanka.This demarcation of ' Fishers Line ' vis-a-vis-the international maritime boundary line [ IMBL } made it illegal for fishermen from either side to cross over into each other's waters to fish. This demarcation was the inception of what would eventually turn into violent conflict. The Indian fishermen from Rameswaram adopted the process of 'drawling ' a process of dropping nylon nets ( as opposed to traditional nets ) with attached weights to the bottom of the sea and dragging them along with the powerful motor boats, unlike traditional wind-propelled sailing boats to capture the popular seafood such prawns. In 1970s the Indian fishermen saw the need for new grounds to fish and began encroaching upon Sri Lankan waters despite the water border agreement . The civil war and the fishing ban in Sri Lanka continued till 2009 leaving leeway to the Indian fishermen to illegally fish in these waters. Due to their small boats, Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen could never compete with the Indian high-speed motorboats. The Indian government has done little to resolve these problems. The most affected community in this situation continues to be the coastal fishermen from Sri Lanka . There has been no inclination from either nation towards international litigation .{ UNCLOS ] United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas.

Very nice decluttering

What the F , why would not say that the island also included 200 kmile , which also is also lost

Shekhar Sir- Can u one do cut the clutter on Indian areas or earlier buffers occupied by china in ladakh post 2021 still?

katchatheevu issue in great detail. Thanks Sir

As a person from TamilNadu, I think this is a well rounded analysis. Any international decision is for the sake of the country and its peace, no matter which party decides. But at least one had the decency not to politicize the deal with Bangladesh when it happened. About fishing - TN fishermen typically does deep sea fishing with superior tech when compared to Sri Lankans. So fishing in kachatheevu is not a big problem for them. The real problem is the arrests and firing on fishermen by SriLankan authorities. There could be mistakes in both the sides but this needs more attention than kachatheevu.

Very good reporting. Election time remembered uncle aunty. Where were they for so many years?

Thx uncle ji

A very exhaustive analysis of history not even by any Tamil media. Rightly said about people over territory. This also exposes the divisive approach by powers at the centre to play election gimmick in Tamilnadu.

Excellent episode. Brought out the nuances of the agreement in the backdrop of the Indian Tamil's citizenship issue in Ceylon very well. Agreements are all about give & take. The welfare of 1.5 L Indian Tamils vis a vis territory of an uninhabited island without any fresh water source can be debated endlessly. All this will make sense only theough the lens of objectivity. Wear your political glasses, and you will see only one side of the story.

Top quality research SG and team to present this in one episode. This episode has been so informative. On the political side, this has been totally unnecessary to put out in the public when relations with our neighbours have been growing well in recent times. Previous governments had to be benign to our neighbours for various reasons, we are after all the big brother of the subcontinent. Wish people could see it rather than see it just as a land transfer. There is a humanitarian angle to it.

First like view and comment

After watching the video i do not understand what is SG's concluding remarks.

India should have used the recent economic collapse of Sri Lanka to negotiate transfer of Kachatheevu to India as part of the 4.5 billion help to Sri Lanka..unfortunately, wonderful opportunity missed

*Why There Is No Talk & Discussion Of Giving Away Of "Kabaw Valley" Of Manipur To Burma/Myanmar🤔🤔🤔*

Sir Dhruv Rathee mentioned you in his recent video. I think his criticism of your evaluation of the state of democracy is fair. I think you might want to look at it.

You didn’t mention your source for this trade off or the 2 parallel stories was based on Mr Jairam’s tweet, not sure why you always start giving cover fire to congress using this wonderful format and program.

1:17 "callous about India's territorial integrity" is a good statement (& associated charge), about people in a dynastic order. This isn't for what the country elected them & put in that position of running the affairs of the country. This is worse than the attacks of a Ghori or Ghazni - Instead of one of them coming here to loot, you sent the loot to wherever they are (were). It is worse than the worst pillage of Nadir Shah, who carried away the "khazana" of the country (as the ruler was unable to fight Nadir Shah's army, but hosted them & pampered them). Nadir Shah gave a remission of 2 years to his subject people of his country, with that loot ! Not "asking" the army to fight the enemy (not at the door-step but well within your home, indulging in wedding ceremony instead) is another serious blunder (or crime or whatever). We need to ponder (& device methods to prevent). In such emergency/crisis the "president" shall act & "freeze" the functioning of his/her government & give the task of driving out the enemy from our soil, to the army. Only upon the restoration of lost territory, shall a civilian government should start functioning. Most of my countrymen may not relish it; but it is an exigency or contingency we need to consider.

There should be another channel to counter this channel called " cut the bullshit"

S Jaishankar's father was advosir in 1974, he should have asked why what when to him :P Moreover, it was disputed island that was never in Indian control. It was just straining the relationship between two countries.

Jaishankar ji was associated with IPKF. Please disclose this information too SG ji. Thank you.

SG playing it very light like exchange of territory for the citizenship of Indian Tamils. In the bargain, he forgets that Indian security is compromised. If Katchatheevu was with us, China cannot put foot hold in Neduntheevu.

WHY HAVE YOU NOT DONE ANY RESEARCH ON THE THONDAMAN FAMILY AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION?

You are shamefully justifying the agreements which are the bone of contention.

But the point remains that Congress undermined the importance of the island from territorial point of view. They were only bothered about the natural resources from the region. Which is a blunder.

So you are saying that because Murlidharan is a great cricketer for his rights we had to cede an island to a country?

Painter Gupta bhai!!!

this dariya dilli is making Indian situation worse. Look at Chinese. they never ever signed boundary agreements hence use that as bargaining chip in discussions with India. It seems our policy makers and politicians are the worst.

Distraction is the name of the game. Most people understand it 😊

First of all it is NOT a new issue. The AIADMK has been consistently opposing the handover for decades now. Its MPs have raised this repeatedly in parliament and CMs especially Jayalalithaa have raised this regularly. The BJP if at all could have done something about it in the last 10 years. Although the blame for callously handing over the island lies with Congress /Indira Gandhi and DMK. The handing over of the island barely outside of Indian shore has led to killing of Indian fishermen mostly Tamils, has led to smuggling due to lax SL policing. It could have been worse if China had made inroads into SL and gotten an electronic spy setup. It certainly poses a security risk and curtails India's Exclusive Economic Zone. To dismiss this island barely 25Kms from Rameshwaram as insignificant is a careless piece of journalism.

Sg, excellent analysis on Katchateevu, each island has an area of 200 sqkm exclusive economic zone and that zone India has lost India would have lost Siachen Glacier by Sonia MMS at Sharmel sheikh