Amit Shah spreading bundle of lies: Abhishek
Kolkata: Responding sharply to Union Home minister Amit Shah's views that the state government was not doing much to bring back migrants, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said that Shah should apologise or prove his allegations that the Bengal government was not allowing trains with migrant workers, he also alleged that the Union minister was spreading "bundle of lies" after staying silent for weeks.
Banerjee said Shah was talking about the very people who have been left to fate by the Centre. "A HM failing to discharge his duties during this crisis speaks after weeks of silence, only to mislead people with bundle of lies! Ironically he's talking about the very ppl whove been literally left to fate by his own Govt. Mr @AmitShah, prove your fake allegations or apologise (sic)," he tweeted.
Shah had written a letter alleging that the state government was not allowing trains with migrant workers to enter Bengal.
Derek O' Brien, Trinamool Congress MP also alleged that Shah was "telling lies just to confuse people."
He said: "Mr Shah you please take summer vacation we do not mind but please do not play divisive politics in this critical hour when the whole nation is fighting against COVID- 19 pandemic..."
He said it was most unfortunate that before the state government could "read the letter, Shah leaked it to the press. This is most unfortunate," he remarked.
He said 10 trains carrying over 30,000 people including migrant labourers are coming to Bengal from various states and the state government has made necessary arrangements to ensure that the people reach their homes safely. Derek O' Brien said before making such accusations, Shah should have asked his officers to give the real picture.
Derek O' Brien added that the state government had written a letter (memo no 324/ HS/ PA/ 2020) to the principal secretary and the nodal officer inter-state transit, government of Kerala dated May 3, and asked the official to furnish details about migrant workers to ensure smooth transit of the workers. Similar letters were sent to the principal secretary, government of Karnataka on May 7, and the government of Rajasthan on May 3.
Brushing aside the allegations made by Shah as "blatant lies", Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, party's MP said that the
Centre was differentiating between the rich and poor. While the rich have been brought from foreign countries, the poor have been forced to walk along the railway tracks without food and water. It is unfortunate that 16 migrant workers were mowed down by a goods train in Maharastra on Friday."
She said the state government has opened 711 camps to look after the migrant workers from other states while Mamata Banerjee has written letters to the Chief Ministers of other states to look after the migrant workers there. "In a bid to cover up their own faults, Shah is now criticizing Banerjee. This has always
been BJP's game plan. To cover up its own faults, it puts the blame on others. In such critical situations BJP always tries to reap benefit out of it," she said.
