AAP leaders claim “arrest” after joining dharna at Rajghat

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Sanjay Singh and Dilip Pandey on Monday joined former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha for a sit-in at the Rajghat demanding armed forces deployment to help migrant workers reach their homes.

However, later they said that they were “arrested” by the police. Sinha had sat on the ‘dharna’ at 11 a.m. and was joined by the AAP leaders later in the day.

“I have started a dharna today from 11 AM at Rajghat, Delhi to demand the deployment of armed forces and paramilitary forces to take the migrant workers home with dignity, instead of beating them up and leaving them to die on the road…We have just been arrested by the Delhi Police,” Sinha tweeted.

Pandey also said that they have been arrested.

“We have been arrested by the Delhi Police from Rajghat, while demanding smooth passage, with dignity, for the migrants to their hometowns… Too much to ask,” Pandey said.

Sinha, a former BJP leader who had turned into a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi government, said that he will continue with his dharma until his demands are met.

Speaking to the media, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the BJP is blind towards the massive exodus of poor migrant labourers across India.

“Today’s situation has exposed the BJP and now it has become clear that they are an anti-poor and pro-rich party. These poor migrant labourers are suffering from trauma, hunger, poverty and unemployment,” Singh said.

“We have seen how these poor people are carrying their tired children. The BJP is not at all looking at this crisis, it does not care about the labourers, farmers, poor and marginalised people,” Singh said, adding that right now the biggest issue is the exodus of poor migrant labourers.

“The only way to solve this issue is by running more trains. Indian Railways can carry 2,30,00,000 people per day. But the BJP government is not at all serious about the issue. Sometimes they say they are running 100 trains and sometimes they say they are running 15 trains. The BJP government can provide luxury flights for people stuck in other countries, but it can’t arrange for trains or buses for these poor people,” he added.

–IANS

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