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Kerala govt refuses money from Congress for migrants’ travel, party says shed false pride
A train is expected to leave Alappuzha to on Tuesday afternoon to Hazaribag in Bihar with 1,140 migrants.
The Kerala government on Tuesday turned down the Congress party’s offer to help the migrant workers who want to leave the state for their native places.
The district Congress committee in Alappuzha brough a cheque of Rs 10 lakh, but the district collector refused to accept it saying there is no provision for it.
Alappuzha district collector M Anjana said there is no government approval to collect the cheque.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal asked the Kerala government to shed its false pride and accept the money.
The party further said that the railways is charging Rs 930 for a single ticket to Bihar. It further said that migrant workers are complaining that this is Rs 200 higher than the normal ticket price.
A train is expected to leave Alappuzha to on Tuesday afternoon to Hazaribag in Bihar with 1,140 migrants.
The migrant labourers, meanwhile, said that it is cruel on part of the Kerala government to reject the offer made by the Congress party.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had on Monday attacked the government for charging train tickets from migrant labourers going back to their homes and announced that her party will bear the cost for the rail travel of all such workers stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown.
In a statement, she had said that it is disturbing that the central government and the rail ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis.
Gandhi said the Congress has taken a decision that all its state units will bear the cost for the rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and take necessary steps in this regard.
Terming the party decision as “historic”, Venugopal and Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had said that the party’s state units will pay the cost of train travel of migrants to state chief secretaries.
