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With 376 fishermen still missing from southern Tamil Nadu two weeks after Cyclone Ockhi hit the coast, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi visited affected fishermen at an open ground at Chinnathurai near Thoothoor in Kanyakumari on Thursday.
Rahul, who was welcomed by hundreds of residents of neighbouring fishing hamlets, promised that the Congress would raise the issue of setting up a separate fisheries ministry in Delhi.
Although this demand was raised before him in 2009 during his last visit to Kanyakumari, Rahul wondered why there was no ministry for fishermen. “We are in the opposition but we are playing a very powerful role. We will strongly demand this,” he said, promising justice for affected fishermen.
DMK working president M K Stalin, meanwhile, demanded that the state government constitute a committee to ensure that relief measures reach cyclone-affected people. Attacking CM Edappadi K Palaniswami for his delay in visiting Kanyakumari, Stalin said the relief should reach those who truly need them.
Andrews Kosmos, forane vicar of Thoothoor vicariate, said, “Our team is visiting every house in the zone to update the list of dead and missing fishermen. We have demanded the state continue the search for 10 days.”
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