KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran has said the Centre’s stance in the Supreme Court favouring the return of marine Salvatore Girone to Italy without facing trial in a case involving the killing of two Indian fishermen has exposed the anti-fishing community attitude of the Narendra Modi government.
He was inaugurating a dharna at Chinnakada here on Tuesday organised by the District Congress Committee (DCC) to register its protest against the stance of the Modi government which allegedly led to the release of the Italian marine.
Mr. Sudheeran questioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s failure to raise the issue with Mr. Modi during their meeting last week. “Mr. Vijayan boasted that several issues pertaining to the State were raised, but why was this issue not raised,” he added.
Fishing community members had been betrayed by the attitude of the Union government in the Italian marines’ case, he said.
Panel report
“The Modi government’s haste to implement the Dr. Meenakumari committee report on deep sea fishing only exposed the negative attitude of the government towards the fishing community,” he said.
Mr. Sudheeran said the Meenakumari panel report was created to facilitate the handing over of the nation’s marine wealth to corporate houses. But after the resistance put up by the Congress across the country by joining hands with the fishing community, the Modi government had no other alternative but to hold back the report.
The threat against the fishing community had resurfaced with the Modi government constituting the Dr. S. Ayyappan committee to come out with a new fisheries policy. Mr. Sudheeran said this committee did not have representation from the fishing community of any of the littoral States. “This should be seen as another ploy to deceive the fishing community of what traditionally belongs to them,” he said.
The dharna was presided over by DCC president Kodikunnil Suresh.
