Back from a tour of Europe, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is on a two-day visit to flood-ravaged Kerala from Tuesday.
Mr. Gandhi said he would visit relief camps, and meet fishermen and party volunteers involved in relief work.
He set off his Kerala visit with an aerial survey from Thiruvananthapuram.
Here are the updates:
Sam Paul reports from Alappuzha:
Mr. Gandhi says a separate Ministry for Fisheries would be set up at the Centre if the Congress is voted to power.
He was speaking at a reception at the Camelot convention centre in Alappuzha, accorded to fishermen who played a major role in flood rescue operations. “The moment a Congress government comes to power at the Centre, we are going to create a Ministry for Fisheries. God's own army will have its own Ministry. A separate Ministry will help to understand and look after the problems of the fisherfolk. Their voices will be heard at the national level,” he says.
He suggests that the Indian Coast Guard use the services of the fishermen for future rescue operations. “When Kerala needed fishermen, you stood up to the challenge. 3,000 fishermen saved 70,000 people. This is not a small thing. Both farmers and fishermen helped build this country,” he says.
Radhakrishnan Kuttooor reports:
Rahul Gandhi interacts with a group of flood victims at a relief camp on the rooftop of a house at Edanadu near Aranmula.
Mr. Gandhi reaches Chengannur by 10.30 a.m. and proceeds to the relief camps at the Christian College and Engineering College there. He then visits the relief camps at Edanadu.
Arrives in Thiruvananthapuram
Mr. Gandhi arrives at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport from London at 8.15 a.m., he leaves for Shangumugham for a brief halt in a hotel.
Following breakfast with senior Congress leaders, Mr. Gandhi continues his journey in a helicopter that takes off at 10 a.m. from the domestic terminal.
He is being accompanied by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, Congress Working Committee members Oommen Chandy, K.C. Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president M.M. Hassan.
Visit to relief camps
Mr. Gandhi will visit relief camps at Chengannur and other parts of Alappuzha and also attend a civic reception for fishers who had played a big part in the rescue operations at Alappuzha.
Later he will go to Kochi and visit relief camps and flood-ravaged areas at Aluva, Chendamangalam and Chalakudy.
Mr. Gandhi will stay overnight at Kochi and proceed to Kozhikode tomorrow morning by flight. He will visit flood-hit areas and relief camps in Wayanad before returning to Delhi.
