Bihar CM calls move lockdown violation, questions why labourers left out
The Uttar Pradesh Government’s move to bring back 8,000 students in 400 buses from Kota in Rajasthan to the State on Saturday during the nationwide lockdown has triggered strong protest from neighbouring Bihar.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar termed it as a gross violation of lockdown and said it is injustice to the migrant workers who are not allowed to return to their States. A senior Bihar Minister asked the Centre to remove all barriers imposed to enforce the lockdown.
The UP Government’s decision to send buses to ferry students comes after a large number of stranded students took to social media requesting for help. Many shared that they did not have the money to even pay their hostel fees as the lockdown was extended till 3 May. The UP Government’s decision came days after the Bihar Government refused to take its students back.
Citicising the Yogi Government, Bihar CM said, “This is injustice as the poor, migrant labourers are not being allowed to move in same way. Students studying in Kota come from well-to-do families and most of them live with their families in Kota. Getting the students back home during the lockdown is injustice towards the labourers. It is also violation of the lockdown. When the labourers moved from Delhi in March that was also a violation of the lockdown.”
Incidentally, the UP Government had also sent hundreds of buses to ferry its migrant workers to different parts of the State from Delhi.
According to media reports, the UP Government also recently arranged over 20 buses to ferry more than 900 pilgrims from south India back to their hometowns. They were stuck in Varanasi since 24 March.
Nitish said the Yogi Adityanath Government’s decision would not just defeat the purpose of the lockdown and need for social distancing but could also make it look like States are facilitating students yet “making excuses” about being unable to bring back migrant workers.
Senior Bihar Minister Ashok Chouidhary said, “When you have decided to defeat the concept of lockdown, then remove all barriers and stop doing pick and choose. Let everyone come back.”
The Bihar Government had earlier this week lodged a protest with the Centre over the Kota administration issuing passes to students of various coaching centres and their parents for returning to their home States.
Recently, Bihar Chief secretary Deepak Kumar had written a letter to the Union Home Secretary and Rajasthan Chief Secretary, for violation of lockdown by granting passes to private vehicles to ferry students back to Bihar.
In a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar had on Monday said, “Such movement from Kota is not at all advisable in the present scenario. In Bihar, we are now medically examining the returning students as well as their guardians accompanying them, and instructions are being issued to quarantine them.”
Earlier also Nitish had raised his objection, pertaining to violation of lockdown when Yogi and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had arranged buses for migrant labourers and dumped them on the borders of Bihar, two days after the Prime Minister had announced for nationwide lockdown on March 23.
Welcoming the Yogi Government decision, BSP supremo Mayawati said similar steps should be taken to facilitate the return of migrant labour families to the State.