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Jagan's intervention helped bring seven Andhra fishermen home safely, claims Tirupati MP
Jagan's intervention helped bring seven Andhra fishermen home safely, claims Tirupati MP
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Tirupati , YSRCP MP M Gurumoorthy on Thursday claimed that the intervention of party supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy helped in the safe return of seven fishermen from Konaseema who had gone missing at sea.
However, rejecting the YSRCP's claim, TDP spokesperson Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar accused the Opposition party of attempting to take credit for the safe return of the fishermen.
"The intervention of YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy played a crucial role in ensuring the safe return of the seven Konaseema fishermen who had gone missing at sea," said Gurumoorthy, addressing a press conference at YSRCP office here.
He accused the NDA coalition government of failing to protect fishermen despite Andhra Pradesh having nearly 900 km of coastline.
The Lok Sabha member from Tirupati said fishermen's families were living in fear, unsure whether those venturing into the sea would return safely, and questioned why the government had not provided satellite phones, regular safety audits, GPS tracking and reliable navigation systems for fishing boats.
Gurumoorthy said Jagan had immediately directed the government to pursue the matter with the Centre. Letters were sent to Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar while coordination was maintained with the Coast Guard and authorities in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
He thanked all agencies involved in the rescue efforts and demanded mandatory safety audits, satellite phones, functional transponders, GPS systems, life jackets and solar power backup for navigation equipment.
Gurumoorthy also said the previous YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024 had initiated 10 fishing harbours, extended Matsyakara Bharosa financial assistance during the fishing-ban period and planned deep-sea fishing boats through Farmer Producer Organisations .
He alleged that the NDA coalition government had shelved these initiatives and urged it to prioritise fishermen's safety.
TDP's Kumar said the Andhra Pradesh government had taken immediate initiatives and that the fishermen were rescued through a massive operation involving 15 Coast Guard vessels and four helicopters.
He accused the YSRCP of political opportunism and trying to hijack a complex rescue operation led by state and national security forces in coordination with the Eastern and North-Eastern Commands in Kolkata.
"This is nothing but the ugly exhibition of the syndrome of taking undue credit by YSRCP," Kumar told PTI.
The TDP spokesperson further criticised the YSRCP for allegedly ignoring fishermen's safety infrastructure during its tenure, arguing that its late-stage political commentary ignored the efforts of the current state administration in tracking the boat to the West Bengal coast.
Ultimately, the safe return of the fishermen was the result of swift government action and institutional coordination, Kumar said.
The seven fishermen, from Odalarevu, Dummalapeta and Vasalathippa villages in Allavaram mandal, set out from the Odalarevu Fish Landing Centre around 10 am on August 3 for fishing.
They remained in phone contact with their families until around 11 am that day, after which communication was lost. The boat was expected to return by August 12 but did not arrive, prompting authorities to launch search operations.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
