Thrissur: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to prevent fishermen from accessing seas in the same way it has been "taking away precious land from farmers."
While addressing a gathering of fishermen in Kerala's Thrissur district, Rahul said, “As the Modi government is taking land away from the farmers, they want to take the sea away from the fishermen.”
In an apparent reference to the Centre deciding to extend the trawler fishing ban to 61 days from 45 days as part of measures to safeguard marine wealth, the Congress vice president said his party would oppose any move to take away the rights of fishermen.
Rahul was interacting with members of a fishermen colony in the coastal hamlet of Chavakkad in Thrissur district.
The Gandhi scion promised to fight the Bharatiya Jananta Party-led NDA government on the issues related to farmers, fishermen and labourers.
“Wherever the central government wants to take away the rights of people-whether its fishermen, labourers or farmers they will be confronted by the Congress,” Rahul exhorted.
Coming down hard on the BJP, the Amethi MP said, “They are not picking a fight with the fishermen, not picking a fight with the tribals or farmers, but with the soul of this country,”adding that “nobody has ever won the fight with the soul of this country.”
Rahul's Kerala visit is the fifth in a series of visits since his return from nearly two month sabbatical. Fishermen in the state are on the warpath against the Centre's decision to extend trawling ban.
During budget session of Parliament, Gandhi had accused Modi government of going against the interests of fishermen in coastal states.
He had said a ban by the 'suit-boot ki sarkar' was not allowing them to undertake unhindered fishing but that foreign trawlers were allowed to do so.
