New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not allowing trains with migrant workers to reach the state further creating hardship for the labourers.
According to reports, Shah stressed on government inaction to sent migrants back, even as all states are availing the service of special trains to ferry stranded migrant workers.
In a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Shah said not allowing trains to reach West Bengal is "injustice" to the migrant workers from the state.
"But we are not getting expected support from the West Bengal. The state government of West Bengal is not allowing the trains reaching to West Bengal. This is injustice with West Bengal migrant labourers. This will create further hardship for them," Shah wrote.
Earlier, the Centre had came down heavily on the West Bengal government for not allowing movement of essential goods through the Indo-Bangladesh border, saying such acts will have international implications.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, senior CPM leader and former MP Hannan Mollah said that this is a clash between centre and state governments.
"Both sides should keep their fight aside. They should come united in their fight against COVID-19," said Mollah. The statement given by Mollah assumes significance as his party is always a bete noire to Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
He, however, said that BJP is trying to regain its lost ground in Bengal, especially after TMC bagged all the municipalities and Panchayats which were earlier captured by BJP
The MHA in a letter to the chief secretary had said the state government has not implemented repeated directions of the Centre for free movement of cargo and this amounts to a violation of the Disaster Management Act.
WB governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had also mounted a sharp attack on Mamata government for concealing the COVID-19 data after a discrepancy emerged in the number of COVID cases in the state in two official communications of the state government.
(With inputs from PTI)
