MillenniumPost
Bengal

Central govt's 'botched up lockdown' responsible for migrant deaths: Abhishek

Kolkata: Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Youth Congress president and party's MP, came down heavily on the Centre for its arrogant and insensitive attitude that has led to the killing of migrant workers who are desperately trying to reach their home states.

He said the imposition of the lockdown without considering the consequences has forced them to take such steps.

So far, around 50 migrant workers who tried to reach their homes, have got killed.

Early on Saturday morning, 24 migrant workers were killed in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh. Another five were killed in a road accident in Madhya Pradesh.

Last week at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, at least 16 migrant labourers were killed by a goods train when they were taking rest on the tracks. At Naringhpur, five workers were killed last week.

Abhishek tweeted: "The painful loss of lives of migrant workers forced to take desperate measures to return to their native places is a result of botched up lockdown led by an arrogant and insensitive government that fails to even take cognizance of the existence and suffering of millions."

It may be mentioned that after the tragic incident at Aurangabad in which 16 migrant workers had been mowed down by a train, Dilip Ghosh, state BJP president had said: "I fail to understand why did they sleep on the railway track. Didn't they space in other areas." The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a bid to cover up its faults, has asked the state government to ensure that migrant workers do not walk on the highways and railway tracks.

The Centre should have ensured that the migrant workers return home safely but instead, it is busy blaming the state governments, TMC MP Sougata Roy said.

The Centre's sudden decision to announce the lockdown has led to such a mess and every day there are reports of migrants getting killed in accidents

or committing suicide, Roy added.

Next Story
Share it