Don't take Rahul Gandhi seriously on farm laws if he denigrates Fisheries Ministry: BJP

BJP National Vice President, Baijayant Jay Panda on Friday fired a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the latter called for the setting up of Fisheries Ministry that already exists.

Panda said a politician's remarks on farm laws should not be taken seriously if he fails to acknowledge the existence of Fisheries Ministry in the country. The BJP leader stated that Gandhi denigrated the lack of a ministry, despite having asked a parliamentary question to Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh just days ago.

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On Wednesday, during his address to fishermen in Puducherry ahead of the assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi compared fishermen to farmers and opined that the fishermen did not a ministry to address their grievances as the farmers had through Agriculture Ministry.

"Everybody knows that farmers are the backbone of every country. I consider you to be farmers of the sea. I think to myself that if farmers of the land can have a ministry in Delhi then why can't the farmers of the sea have a ministry in Delhi," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader's statement came despite the fact that he had asked a question in the Parliament on February 2 to the very ministry that he demanded to be set up.

READ | 'Fisherman The Farmer Of The Sea': Rahul Gandhi Wants Dept of Fisheries; It Already Exists

Jay Panda targets Congress over Patole's threat

Panda further attacked the Congress party over Maharashtra Minister Nana Patole's threat to Bollywood personalities for not taking a stand on the issue of the fuel price hike. 

"Don't take seriously a politician on farm laws when he denigrates the lack of a fisheries ministry despite having asked a parliamentary question to the fisheries minister. But do take seriously his thuggish lieutenant threatening Indian icons for not toeing his party's line," Jay Panda said in a tweet. 

Congress' Patole had stirred controversy on Thursday after he threatened Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar by stating that their shootings won't be allowed if they did not voice their opinions against rising fuel prices in India. 

"If they do not take a stand now on the injustice meted out by the Modi government, we will not let any film (screening) or shootings of Amitabh Bachchan or Akshay Kumar in Maharashtra," the Congress leader said. 

"They should now play the same role and protest against the centre's anti-national policy, as they did during Manmohan Singh's tenure, Patole added

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