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‘Don’t fall for rumours’: Stalin reaches out to migrant workers in Tamil Nadu

In a bid to dispel fears over alleged fake videos of attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday reached out to some of them and assured them of a safe work environment

Published on: Mar 8, 2023, 24:46:50 IST
By , Chennai
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In a bid to dispel fears over alleged fake videos of attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday reached out to some of them and assured them of a safe work environment.

HT Image
HT Image

Stalin, who is the chief of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), also alleged that an attempt was being made to pull down the state government by instigating religious and caste-based violence.

The chief minister’s remarks came amid growing apprehensions among the migrant workforce in the wake of circulation of alleged fake videos of attacks on some of them in the state.

Tamil Nadu has a sizeable number of migrant worker population, with many from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal being employed in various sectors, including construction.

The alleged fake videos had even prompted the Bihar government to depute an official delegation to take stock of the situation.

Interacting with a group of migrant workers at a factory at Tirunelveli district, which employs over 150 labourers from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, Stalin said: “Rumours are being spread. You don’t have to believe them. We will take care of things.”

In a statement, the government also said that “the chief minister asked them (migrant labourers) not to fall for rumours and that the state government was providing workers from all states a safe work environment.”

Later in the day, Stalin alleged a conspiracy to oust the DMK government.

“There is a section which is trying to split the country and is planning to pull down the DMK government by attempting to provoke religious and caste-based violence in the state. These forces are planning to bring disrepute to the DMK government and to unseat it. They are thinking how to unleash violence. They are planning how to unleash caste and communal riots in Tamil Nadu. I usually don’t respond to unnecessary criticism against us because our response will give them publicity,” he said.

The chief minister made the remarks at the inauguration of a statue of DMK patriarch and his father M Karunanidhi in Nagercoil.

  • Divya Chandrababu
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Divya Chandrababu

    Divya Chandrababu is an award-winning political and human rights journalist based in Chennai, India. Divya is presently Assistant Editor of the Hindustan Times where she covers Tamil Nadu & Puducherry. She started her career as a broadcast journalist at NDTV-Hindu where she anchored and wrote prime time news bulletins. Later, she covered politics, development, mental health, child and disability rights for The Times of India. Divya has been a journalism fellow for several programs including the Asia Journalism Fellowship at Singapore and the KAS Media Asia- The Caravan for narrative journalism. Divya has a master's in politics and international studies from the University of Warwick, UK. As an independent journalist Divya has written for Indian and foreign publications on domestic and international affairs.Read More