"We'll honour fishermen with a dedicated ministry," says Rahul Gandhi in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 14: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who will be in Kerala today began his Kerala campaign with a 'fishermen's parliament' at Triprayar in Thrissur.

Rahul Gandhi is interacting with the fishermen present at the venue. "Whenever India need you, you are there, without any questions or expectations. But when you need, there is no one. You are facing threats from Sri Lanka, new coastal rules. I don't like giving small solutions. I want to give you your own amplifier so that your grievances are heard immediately in Delhi," he said.

"We want to honour all those fishermen. We have decided that the best way to honour them is to have a dedicated ministry for fishermen in Delhi," the Congress chief added.

Later, Rahul would fly to Kannur, where he would meet the family of slain Youth Congress leader Shuhaib at the airport there.

He would leave for Kasargod and meet the families of Kripesh and Sarathlal, the youth congress activists, who were allegedly killed by the CPI(M) recently. Gandhi would then leave for Kozhikode, where he would attend the Janamaha rally, in which thousands of party workers from six north Kerala districts are expected to participate.

Though he was earlier scheduled to visit the house of slain CRPF jawan V V Vasanathakumar in Wayanad, there are media reports that it is unlikely to happen as the security agencies are yet to give clearance owing to Maoist threat.

He is also expected to hold discussions with senior party leaders on the selection procedure of candidates, poll preparations and strategy as the crucial Lok Sabha polls is just 40 days away in the state.

Though the Congress is yet to finalise and announce its nominees, Gandhi's visit is expected to rejuvenate the workers in Kerala, one of the states where the party is pinning its hopes high.