Rahul Gandhi visits flood relief camps in Kerala

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday commenced a two-day visit to flood-affected regions of Kerala.

At a function organised in Alappuzha to honour fishermen who rescued thousands of people marooned in flooded areas, he said if the Congress party forms a government at the Centre, it would create a ministry for fisheries.

Thanking the fishermen for saving about 70,000 people in the deluge, the Congress president said the Indian Coast Guard should involve fishermen in rescue operations in the future.

Accompanied by senior Congress leaders including Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, Rahul visited relief camps in the districts of Alappuzha, Thrissur and Ernakulam. He is scheduled to visit affected areas in Wayanad and Kozhikode districts on Wednesday.

The Congress president had earlier urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the floods a national disaster, a demand repeatedly raised by Kerala.

Reports said the Congress president delayed his helicopter trip from Chengannur to ensure that an air ambulance carrying an ailing woman did not lose time.

The incident happened near the helipad at Christian College in Chengannur as Rahul was preparing to take off for Alappuzha. The woman was being shifted to a hospital in Kottayam, the reports said.