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Home minister Deshmukh counters ally Sena on Sonu Sood
I have not heard what Sanjay Raut said but Sonu or anybody else, if someone is coming forward and helping in the current situation, the person needs to be welcomed, he said
Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh countered ally Shiv Sena on questioning Bollywood actor Sonu Sood for his efforts in transporting migrant workers back home.
Speaking in Pune on Sunday during a press conference, Deshmukh said whoever is doing good work needs to be applauded.
When asked about Shiv Sena spokesperson and editor Sanjay Raut’s article in Saamana criticising Sood’s work, Deshmukh said that by helping people, Sood has done good work.
“I have not heard what Sanjay Raut said but Sonu or anybody else, if someone is coming forward and helping in the current situation, the person needs to be welcomed,” he said.
Raut had lashed out at Sood, who has been widely appreciated for helping hundreds of stranded migrant workers home, as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stooge and prospective star campaigner for the party. The Sena leader also questioned how Sood managed to arrange for buses and flights when many state governments were found to be helpless during the lockdown
On the issue of migrants, Deshmukh said that so far 12 lakh migrant workers have been sent to their respective states through the special “shramik” trains and claimed that the entire cost of the journey was borne by the state government.
Deshmukh was in Pune to review the Covid-19 situation in the city.
“Till now, around 12 lakh migrant workers have been sent to their respective states in special trains. Around 5.5 lakh migrant workers were transported to their respective borders in state transport buses. The railway ministry announced that they would be bearing 85 per cent of the ticket fare of migrant workers’ homebound journey but not a single penny has been received from them,” he said.
He said that the entire cost around Rs 100 crore was spent from the CM relief fund for sending the migrants to their states.
“We made all the arrangements of the migrant labourers including giving them food and all these people upon reaching to their states are appreciating the state government,” he said.
Replying to a question on the leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis criticising the state government, Deshmukh said that all people from all walks of life, NGOs, all political parties are coming forward and helping in the fight against Covid-19 and in this time, in such situation, a leader like Fadnavis engaging in politics is not good.
“Fadnavis should stop dreaming,” said Deshmukh.
