BJP woos fishermen with promises of loan, job quota

Speaking here at a party conclave for the fishing community, BJP President Nitin Gadkari said almost 90 per cent of the fishermen community lives below the poverty line and yet there is no national policy to deal with the specific problems.

"I promise you that our national policy on fishing and fishermen will be implemented in all the states if we come to power. Our state governments will also implement it. Madhya Pradesh has already said it will give loans to fishermen at zero per cent interest as is done for farmers," Gadkari said.

He also announced a separate fisheries department would be established by NDA.

BJP sources said the party is reaching out to this community to make forays into southern states which are located near the sea as well as other states where it has a sizable presence.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said people from the fishermen community are not given reservation in all states and her party would make efforts for this.

She also said she had taken up the cause of Tamil Nadu fishermen with neighbouring Sri Lanka and asked their navy not to shoot those fishermen who cross the international borders.

"Sri Lanka has now agreed to only arrest such fishermen and release them later," Swaraj said.

Other than reservation and soft loans, BJP also promised to get them ownership of pucca houses, title deeds of their land, drying areas, cold storage, better education, cooperative system, trawler facility and other benefits.