Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday criticised the Centre’s decision to charge migrant workers for providing special trains home amid the nationwide lockdown and said the party will pay for their train travel.
“The Indian National Congress has, therefore, taken a decision that every Pradesh Congress Committee shall bear the cost for the rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and shall take necessary steps in this regard,” Gandhi said in a statement. “This will be the Indian National Congress’ humble contribution in service of our compatriots and to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them.”
The decision of the Narendra Modi government to charge an additional fare of Rs 50 for migrant workers to return home in Shramik special trains, to be operated at the request of the state governments, has drawn flak.
The Congress president said labourers and migrant workers are the “backbone” of India’s economy, adding that the government’s decision on March 24 to declare a lockdown at four-hours notice has led to a tragedy. “Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot – without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones,” she added.
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