India

BJP, Congress trade charges over buses for UP migrants (Ld)

Lucknow, May 19 (IANS) The ruling BJP in Uttar Pradseh and the Congress are now trading charges over the issue of buses for migrants.

Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said on Tuesday that there was no dearth of buses in Uttar Pradesh to bring back migrant workers.

“Uttar Pradesh has brought the maximum number of migrant workers home. We are ensuring food and water for them and also conducting their medical screening. The whole country is appreciating the efforts of the Yogi Adityanath government. The Congress has been completely exposed by submitting registration numbers of autos and scooters instead of buses,” he said at a press conference.

Sharma further said that 900 special trains had brought over 10 lakh migrant workers to Uttar Pradesh, adding that as many as 12,000 buses had brought home more than six lakh workers.

He said that every district magistrate had been given 200 buses to help migrant workers reach their destinations.

The Deputy CM said that the Congress was determined to mislead people and create obstacles for any good work that is being done by the BJP government.

“The Congress should pay attention to Maharashtra and Rajasthan where the condition of migrant workers is worse. They are not getting food and are not even tested. In the 50 odd years that it ruled the country, the Congress has only ensured unemployment,” he said.

Rebutting the charges, senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that the BJP was now worried over the Congress’ initiative.

“I have never seen the plight of the migrant workers of this magnitude in independent India. Workers are walking hundreds of miles, getting run over by trains and losing their lives in road mishaps. The government is not going beyond giving assurances,” he said.

Tiwari further claimed that workers have started walking towards their destinations with their families and children simply because they have lost faith in the assurances given by the government.

He said Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi took the initiative to deploy 1,000 buses for the migrant workers and sought the state government’s permission for the same.

“The state government has been deliberately delaying the issue and is playing politics,” he pointed out.

Tiwari said that if there are any discrepancies found in the list of buses, the government should simply remove them and the party would provide additional buses.

–IANS

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