Rahul takes on Modi govt over fishermen’s plight

After his aggressive pitch against the land bill, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reached out to the fishing community by attacking the Modi government's decision to extend the ban on trawling, declaring "mother sea" cannot be taken away from them.

"Land is the Kisan's mother, sea is your mother and they want to take your mother and give it to someone else," he told a fishermen's 'Sangamam' (conclave) here on the second day of his Kerala visit.

Fishermen in Kerala are on the warpath against the Centre's decision to extend trawling ban from 45 days to 61 days to protect marine health and also certain provisions of the <g data-gr-id="22">Meenakumari</g> report on deep sea fishing in coastal areas of the country.

Rahul, who led the opposition assault against the Modi government over the controversial land bill, forcing it to be referred to a joint Parliamentary committee, described the farmers, fisherfolk and tribals as the "soul" of the nation and vowed to safeguard their rights. "NDA government is not picking a fight with poor fishermen, farmers and tribals, but with the soul of the country," Gandhi said and warned that "nobody has ever won the fight against the soul of the country." 

"I am telling you from this stage, they (Centre) should be very, very careful, about whom they are confronting," the Congress leader asserted as he took yet another jibe at the 'suit-boot ki sarkar'.