The Congress in Gujarat today launched a ten-day "Kinara Bachao (save the coastline)" campaign to "highlight the plight" of fishermen, in the poll-bound state.
The "boat yatra" was flaggeed off by the state unit Congress president Bharat Solanki at Mandvi in Kutch district.
The yatra will culminate at Umargam in Valsad district on May 12, after covering the 1600-km-long coastline, the party stated in a release.
Senior party leader Ahmed Patel will address a rally on May 12, it said.
The yatra will cover around 30 ports, located along the state's Arabian Sea coast, as per the release.
Party leaders like Arjun Modhwadia, Shankersinh Vaghela, Siddharth Patel, Shaktisinh Gohil to name a few, will join the campaign at several points to address the rallies of fishermen and people dwelling there, it said.
"The opposition party will highlight the BJP government's failure to provide facilities to the people who make their living by fishing in sea. The boat yatra will pass through Sikka, Okha, Jaffrabad, Bhavnagar, Dahej, Hazira before culminating," it said.
The programme is aimed at exposing the BJP's "falsehood" of announcing a Rs 11,000 crore package by then chief minister Narendra Modi before the 2012 assembly polls, and the recent announcement of Rs 45,000 crore made by Modi at Somnath temple recently for the fishermen community.
"The Rs 11,000-crore package was announced under the 'Sagar Khedu Yojana', but the fishermen have not received even Rs 11 worth benefit from the scheme. The Rs 45,000-crore announcement is again made with the BJP eyeing the 2017 Assembly elections," the release said.
The Congress said that not a single fishing port has been constructed by the ruling BJP in the last 22 years.
"Instead, the BJP sold off the state ports to large industries," it said.
The Congress said the quota of subsidised kerosene was reduced to 35 litres from 250 litres in the BJP rule.
"A total of 442 fishermen from the state are lodged in the Pakistani jails while their 970 boats are in the custody of the neighbouring country. However, the government has done nothing for the affected families," it alleged.
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