India's main opposition party leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a jibe at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over a lockdown-driven exodus of internal migrant workers to their home states and suggested the government should support them financially.
"Migrants workers are fleeing to their native villages. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the central government to deposit money in their bank accounts to help them. But will a government that blames the public for spreading corona take such a helpful step?" he tweeted in Hindi.
प्रवासी एक बार फिर पलायन कर रहे हैं। ऐसे में केंद्र सरकार की ज़िम्मेदारी है कि उनके बैंक खातों में रुपय डाले।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 20, 2021
लेकिन कोरोना फैलाने के लिए जनता को दोष देने वाली सरकार क्या ऐसा जन सहायक क़दम उठाएगी?#Lockdown
Gandhi’s remark comes at a time when thousands of migrant labourers in the country are flocking to railway stations and bus stops; several states have implemented a partial lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, leaving them out of work for the duration of the emergency.
With the trauma of last year’s #lockdown still fresh in their minds n fear of a return to that condition of misery, hundreds of migrant workers are heading to their native places. #Anandvihar
— Advitya (@advityabahl) April 19, 2021
They don't trust @AamAadmiParty
now. @ArvindKejriwal
Photos by @AmarjeetKSingh_ pic.twitter.com/1Vo78Cx7sp
Despite @ArvindKejriwal promising that @AamAadmiParty will take care of the #migrantworkers through d crisis. Ths video 4m Anand Vihar clearly shows that the workers do not trust the Delhi govt now and trauma of last year’s lockdown is still fresh in their minds#COVIDEmergency pic.twitter.com/s2Imlfroiw
— Advitya (@advityabahl) April 19, 2021
Last year, millions of migrant workers within India had to face massive hardship while returning to their home villages and small towns after a national lockdown left workplaces closed in big cities.
The first national lockdown was declared to curb the spread of COVID-19 among the general public on 24 March last year.
