Rahul Gandhi enjoys 'tasty fish' lunch at fisherman's house

CHAVAKKAD: Rahul Gandhi today enjoyed a 'tasty fish' lunch served by a fisherman's family at a hamlet near here and said he would visit the beach again to taste Kerala's delicious tapioca and spicy fish curry.

"I am going to come back here again because I was given a very, very tasty fish lunch," Rahul said addressing a fishermen's 'Sangamam' (conclave) here on the second day of his Kerala visit.

Meanwhile, slamming the Narendra Modi government over its decision to extend ban on trawling, Rahul also said, "the fish brought by the fishermen is better than the fish brought by trawlers."

Rahul visited almost all 51 houses in the fishermen colony at Blangad beach here and at the end of his visit he was served lunch at the small house of Kizhakkoot Karunakaran.

The lunch was prepared by Karunakaran's three-member family including his wife Thankamani and daughter Neetu, local MLA and Congress leader T N Prathapan said.

The Congress Vice President was served curry and a variety of fish fry items including 'neymeen' (seer fish) and 'veluri' along with 'kappa puzhukku' (tapioca curry).

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC President VM Sudheeran and Prathapan joined Gandhi for the lunch at the fisherman's house.

Later, Rahul interacted with the family members of fishermen in the colony and heard their grievances.

Addressing them in English which was simultaneously translated into Malayalam by Chennithala, Gandhi said land is becoming more and more valuable and the central government was trying to take it away from farmers.

"So we are fighting them and trying to make sure that they do not take land away from the farmers. In the same way that they are taking land away from farmers, they are also trying to sea away from fishermen."

"For people living near the sea, the sea is like a mother. They are taking your mother and giving the mother away to somebody else. Just because they are more powerful and more richer than you. I think this is very, very unfortunate," he said and assured them that he would stand with them in their fight to protect their sea.

He said, "the Prime Minister has got a new slogan called Make in India. He is under the impression that poor people do not make this country. And in fact it is the poor people who make this country."

"Wherever the government tries to take away the rights of poor people...they will be confronted by the Congress party," Gandhi said.