Kanyakumari (TN): Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi today said fishermen were living in difficult times and his party would "strongly" raise in Parliament the issue of setting up a separate ministry for them.  

Gandhi, who reached out to the fishermen community hit by cyclone Ochki here, wondered why there was not a ministry for them when there was one for farmers. "I think in this difficult time for fishermen it is important you have someone, an institution, a ministry, which looks after your interest so that you know whom to turn to in difficult times," he said.    

"We will raise the issue very strongly in Parliament," the Congress leader, who arrived here after meeting fishermen hit by the cyclone in Kerala, said. Gandhi said though his party was not in power in Tamil Nadu or at the Centre, it can, however, put a "lot of pressure" on the government.  

"We are in the Opposition. And the Opposition has a very powerful role to play. We can put a lot of pressure on the government. And we will do our duty, we will put a tremendous amount of pressure in Parliament and in Tamil Nadu and make sure you get justice," he said.    

He noted that farmers of Kanyakumari district had also suffered losses in the cyclone that hit the coast here on November 30 and assured to help them in "whatever way we can". Earlier, he interacted with a few affected women, who said they briefed him about their "grievances".    

Cyclone Ockhi, packed with strong wind and rain, ravaged Kanyakumari, with the fishermen community facing its brunt. Many of the fishermen who had put out to sea before the formation of the cyclone are stranded elsewhere in the country while about 460 are missing.    

The state government had taken up search and rescue operations with the help of the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force. PTI