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‘State governments failed’: RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh on migrants’ plight
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh said workers have been left to their devices by their employers and contractors who they served for many years and contributed as wealth creators.
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has criticised several state governments, including the BJP-ruled Gujarat, for failing to address the concerns of the migrant workers, pointing out that while the union government has issued directive to all states to provide transport facilities, workers are continuing to walk back home.
The labour wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) particularly targeted the governments of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat and Jharkhand for failing to take care of the migrants.
“…Due to the complete lockdown, the public transport system was not available and they had no money to stay at their workplaces without food, shelter etc. The Central government has already issued a directive to all state governments to provide transport facilities along with other necessities to such migrant workers. The state governments failed to own their responsibility to help in such a critical situation,” BMS general secretary Vrijesh Upadhyay said in a statement.
The BMS, which has also planned a nationwide protest on May 20 against the changes made to labour laws in several states, said workers have been left to their devices by their employers and contractors who they served for many years and contributed as wealth creators.
“In many places neither the employer nor the contractors made efforts to take care of these workers who have been waiting patiently since March 25 onwards (when the lockdown was announced),” Upadhaya said.
Referring to the accident in Aurangabad where 16 workers were run over by a train, the BMS functionary said it was “unwarranted interference” by the police authorities that forced workers to walk along tracks instead of taking the road.
“Many more migrant workers lost their lives in road accidents while on their way home on foot,” he said, adding that the BMS state units will set up help desks at the district level to help workers travel and find jobs.
