Mangaluru: P.C. Vishnunath, AICC secretary, said on Wednesday that the demands of the fishermen community would be included in the manifesto of the party for the forthcoming Parliamentary elections.

He was speaking after inaugurating the two-day national executive committee meeting of All India Fishermen Congress Committee (AIFCC), here. Mr. Vishnunath said that AICC president Rahul Gandhi was concerned about the problems faced by the fishermen.

The AIFCC had already come out their manifesto for the welfare of the fishermen, he said. “The Congress had joined hands with the Janata Dal (Secular) to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) away from power in the State.” The polices of the Union government had hit farmers, fishermen and small traders hard.

Janardhan Tonse, president of Udupi District Congress Committee (UDCC), said that it was necessary to have a separate Ministry and department for fisheries at the Centre.