Call off ban on small fishermen, demands Rahul

Firing yet another salvo at the Narendra Modi government, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused it of hurting the interests of fishermen and sought reversal of the ban on fishing in coastal areas.

Addressing the media outside the parliament on the issue that was first raised by Congress MP KC Veenugopal in Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that the "suit-boot" government was working against the interest of small-scale fishermen by extending the ban on fishing in coastal states but allowing foreign trawlers to continue instead.

"The suit-boot sarkar (government) worked against the interest of the farmers and labourers first. It is now against fishermen... They have extended the fishing ban and they are allowing foreign trawlers to come in at the expense of our fishermen," he said.

"Small-scale fishermen have been banned from fishing. The government is suppressing the interest of the dispossessed in the country. The ban that has been extended must be reversed," he added.