The Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday slammed Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar for making a “false” allegation that all State Governments are paying rail fare for poor migrants except Maharashtra, Kerala and Rajasthan Government, “who are taking fare from the poor”
“Even in times of crisis, the BJP’s blatant insensitivity in lying to the people is shocking. I would like to challenge Prakash Javadekar that if there is any sensitivity in the Union government, the Centre should issue a two-line order that the railways shall not take any money for ticket fare from migrant workers,” Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.
Sawant said that though the central government allowed the migrant workers to return to their hometowns, it took an “insensitive decision” of asking the state government to collect fare from the poor and deposit with the Railways.
Sawant said that extremely upset over this insensitiveness, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi decided that the cost of repatriation of migrant workers in this extremely unfortunate situation would be borne by the Congress in each of the states.
“With the general public aware of the insensitivity shown by the central government and the decision taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the grounds of the Bhatiya Janta Party (BJP) has shaken. As a result, BJP leaders have launched a nationwide campaign to spread propaganda and false statements,” Sawant said.
“Yesterday, Sambit Patra, BJP’s national spokesperson made a public statement that the central government is giving 85 percent concession while other 15 percent is being borne by the state governments,” the state Congress spokesperson said.
“And, in such a scenario, what the Congress party will give? In order to target opposition, the union minister Prakash Javadekar went ahead and made a false allegation that all state governments are paying rail fare for poor migrants except Maharashtra, Kerala and Rajasthan government, who are taking fare from the poor,” Sawant said.
He said that in the first place, health was a state issue and “in such a crisis period, no financial assistance has been given to the states by the central government despite the fact that state governments are fighting against the corona crisis”
“Besides, the central government has not given Rs 15,000 crore for GST compensation to the state. There is already a loss of around Rs 25000 crore in March. There is no income this month. In such a scenario, there is no support from the Centre. It seems that the Centre is shirking its responsibility by passing the cost of travel fare of migrant workers to the states,” Sawant said.
“Javadekar’s statement shows the mentality of the central government is to take credit of work done by the state government,” the Congress spokesperson said.
“Official decision to give 85% concession in railway fares has not yet been taken. However, it is quite possible that the BJP can make a move to say later that this concession was already there. Currently the railways is recovering full fare for the tickets. It is cleared that the central government has directly cheated poor people,” Sawant said.
“Going beyond that, to say that only the governments of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kerala are taking money from the workers is the height of hypocrisy of BJP leaders like Javadekar. In Gujarat, several media channels not only have shown that money is being taken from all workers but no people are being sent without water and food. And the BJP’s hypocrisy has been exposed. In Madhya Pradesh too, labourers are travelling at full cost,” the Congress spokesperson added.