This Article is From Mar 29, 2020

"Forgot About Migrant Labourers": Congress Mocks Government

Coronavirus: Calling it the "worst internal migration since partition", the Congress questioned why community kitchens and other systems like the angawadis could not be prepared before the "Janata Curfew".

'Forgot About Migrant Labourers': Congress Mocks Government

Coronavirus: Rahul Gandhi also wrote to PM Narendra Modi, regarding the steps taken by the government.

New Delhi:

The Congress today launched a sharp attack on the government over the situation of migrant workers, saying the Narendra Modi government "forgot" about them. "Shouldn't the government have made preparations? This was not unexpected," the party said, referring to the sudden exodus by thousands of daily wagers whose income came to an abrupt halt with the 21-day announcement by the government.

"We have seen that from the March 19, there has been no coordination. Couldn't have some more time given instead of three to four hours for lockdown?" the party said, pointing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's televised announcement on Tuesday that started at 8 pm. The lockdown started at midnight.

Calling it the "worst internal migration since partition", the Congress questioned why community kitchens and other systems like the angawadis could not be prepared before the "Janata Curfew".

Despite the party's support, the government's unpreparedness has caused "innumerable damage in the fight against COVID," the Congress said.  

In a letter to PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi too raised the issue.

"The sudden lockdown has created immense panic and confusion. Factories, small industries and construction sites have closed, tens of thousands of migrant labourers are trying to walk home to their villages and are stranded at various state borders. They are rendered totally vulnerable without their daily wages or access to nutrition and basic services. They are struggling to reach far away homes and seek refuge," Mr Gandhi wrote.

"It is important that we help them find shelter and provide them with money directly into their bank accounts to help them tide over the next few months," the letter read.

The Union home ministry today ordered the state governments to enforce the lockdown by sealing borders. The labourers who are violating lockdown should be placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine, the government said, asking the states to ensure that the quarantined people have food, shelter and other essentials.

In his letter, Rahul Gandhi suggested a "nuanced" approach.

 "It is critical for us to understand that India's conditions are unique... The consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from the Covid-19 virus," his letter read. "It is important that the government consider a nuanced approach that takes the complex realities of our people into consideration," he added.
 

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