‘Maharashtrians face the brunt’: Raj Thackeray blames migrants for Covid-19 surge

Thackeray said that during the previous lockdown, he had suggested that migrants workers should be registered and tested on their return to Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday blamed the migrant workers for the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.

File photo: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. (HT PHOTO)

“A large number of people coming from other states are not being tested for Covid-19. Covid-19 cases in the state are increasing due to these people,” said Thackeray. “There is no tab on migrants coming and going and due to these people, Maharashtrians have to face the brunt in form of the lockdown and sit at home,” he added.

Maharashtra has witnessed a rapid surge in its Covid-19 cases over the last few days. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced a weekend lockdown and night curfew during the weekdays from Monday to April 30, besides other measures to curb the spread of infection. As per Union health secretary Rajeh Bhushan, Mumbai is among the 10 districts in the country with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases while Maharashtra is among states of maximum concern.

Thackeray said that during the previous lockdown, when there was a massive outflow of migrants to their native states, he had suggested they be registered and tested on their return to Maharashtra.

“Both my suggestions were ignored. Today it’s Corona, tomorrow it could be some other virus. This chain is not going to stop,” he added.

For over a decade, Thackeray is known for his tough stance on migrants, blaming them for eating up the employment opportunities of the local Maharashtrians. This paid him rich dividends in the 2009 assembly polls but then MNS’s performance slid massively during the 2014 and 2019 polls.

Former Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said Thackeray should stop indulging in such parochial politics. “In this time of the pandemic, Raj Thackeray should understand the gravity of the situation and not indulge in such cheap gimmicks,” said Nirupam.

Thackeray, during his media interaction, also gave details of his zoom meeting with his cousin and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. He asked the chief minister to allow retail shops to open at least twice a week, penalise hospital that are refusing beds to Covid-19 patients and give relief in case of electricity bills.

Thackeray also demanded the cancellation of 10 and 12 standard exams and promotion of all these students to the next class.