New Delhi: Congress party on Friday slammed central government's decision on the movement of migrants amid nationwide lockdown stating that centre's decision might take three years for migrant workers to return back to their home states.
During a press conference, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "It seems that central government has abandoned the entire section of migrant labourers without a second thought even when we all know that migrant workers belong to the most vulnerable section of people in our country."
Accusing the order of Ministry of Home Affairs as "Tugalaqui Farmaan", Singhvi said, "It is very quaint and funny if it weren't tragic. It is as if it was issued by an ignorant and uncaring person who is constituting a cruel joke on these migrants."
On April 29, MHA issued fresh guidelines allowing states to bring back stranded students, migrant labourers, tourists and pilgrims to their home states via buses. The Congress leader said that the central government did no homework before announcing nationwide lockdown which left these migrant workers in the lurch.
"You had no idea of facts and figures of the migrant workers. If you knew you wouldn't have given the restrictions of only travelling by buses because if you had estimates you would know that it's going to take 2 to 3 years in transporting them," he said. Singhvi claimed that there are 42 lakh migrant workers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who want to go back to their homes.
Also read: EC grants permission for Maharashtra election amid COVID-19 for CM Uddhav
"There are a number of 25 lakh Bihari migrants in Maharashtra in Tamil Nadu alone, whereas Rajasthan says that they have some 2.5 lakh migrant workers, Kerala has 4 lakh, Punjab has 4 lakh, Odisha 7 lakh, Assam has 1.5 lakh migrant labours struck in different parts of the country," he said.
Singhvi also alleged that the central government is trying to give away it's own responsibilities by imposing them upon the states.
While replying to ETV Bharat's question over the running of special trains, Singhvi said, "Now, when there is urgency bureaucratic limitations have started. Only PM Modi's permission is required to start the other transport facility. So what is the main reason for the delay, apparently there is an avoidance technique and shifting of responsibility being followed."
He further added, "Since when does Railways remotely become a state decision? Railways used to have a budget on its own. Everything to do with it has to be a central government initiative. You start having all these limitations of transferring power when you have to do something with obligation. It's complete hypocrisy and contradiction."
He also blamed centre for not providing financial assistance to the migrant workers, saying, "Mismanagement of the migrant workers and treatment meted out to them, shows and reflects the approach of this government to the poorest segments, that too during the pandemic and reveals a very bizarre development model for India during crisis times."
