A political slugfest broke out on Monday over the issue of 'homecoming' of migrants with the Congress offering to pay for the travel of the stranded workers, and the BJP hitting back, saying the railwayswas already bearing 85 percent of the travel cost and only 15 percent was being taken from the state governments.
Apart from the Congress, other opposition parties, including theCPI-M, the National Conference and the Loktantrik Janata Dal have criticised the Centre amidst reports that migrant workers are not able to afford to travel back to their native places.
Accusing the Central government and the Indian Railways of ignoring the demands made by the Congress for ensuring safe and free travel of migrant workers and labourers to their homes, party president Sonia Gandhi on Monday announced that party's state units will bear the cost of rail travel of needy migrants stranded at various places across the country as its "humble contribution" to show solidarity with these workers, who have contributed to nation's development.
Other Congress leaders also joined Gandhi to attack the government, saying it brought back those stranded abroad free of cost while making these poor people pay. They also demanded that the 'PMCares Fund' should be used for migrants.
"On one hand, the railways is charging ticket fares from labourers stranded in other states while on the other, the railway ministry is donating Rs 151 crore to the PM-Cares Fund. Just resolve this puzzle," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
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The BJP hit back saying the railways has subsidised 85 percent of ticket fare for Shramik special trains being run to ferry migrant workers and the state government has to pay the remaining 15 per cent.
"Rahul Gandhiji, I have attached guidelines of MHA which clearly states that 'no tickets to be sold at any station'. The railways has subsidised 85 percent and state governments have to pay 15 percent. The state government can pay for the tickets (Madhya Pradesh's BJP govt is paying). Ask Congress state governments to follow suit," Patra tweeted.
The BJP leader further clarified that for each 'Shramik Express', about 1,200 tickets are given by the railways to the state government concerned.
The state governments are supposed to clear the ticket price and hand over the tickets to workers, he added.
There was no official reaction from the Indian Railways on the issue, while, off the record, sources dubbed the controversy as "political".
Criticising the government,CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said,"as the name shows, the new fund is exclusively for those whom Modi cares for. The poor and the vulnerable, the value creators, he clearly doesn't care for. Callous. Cruel. Criminal," he tweeted along with a cartoon showing a poor migrant saying they were also NRIs (not required Indians)."
"Good that the Centre paid for the return of Indians stranded abroad. Why does it not also pay for the return of our hungry and miserable workers within India? It is criminal to charge them. Where are the thousands of crores being collected by Modi going," he tweeted on Sunday.
NC president Omar Abdullah also tweeted on Sunday, "If you are stuck abroad during this COVID crisis this government will fly you back for free but if you are a migrant worker stranded in another state be prepared to cough up the cost of travel (with social distancing cost added). Where did 'PM Cares' go?".
Opposition leader Sharad Yadav said migrant workers should not have been asked to pay the train fare in this hour of crisis for them.
All sections of society are paying a price for the government's apathy, he said, adding this would not have happened if the lockdown had been imposed in a planned manner.
Yadav also urged the railways to pay the fare for migrants, saying the revenue of states has already fallen down a lot.
The railways rolled out the Shramikspecial trains on Friday to ferry migrants, stranded due to the COVID-19 lockdown, to their respective states.
The government came in for criticism after a circular from the railways said,"the local state government authority shall handover tickets to passengers cleared by them and collect the ticket fare and hand over the total amount to the railways."
Terming the Congress president's decision as "historic", AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shed his "false prestige" and come forward in paying for travel of migrants seeking to return home.
They alleged that the Congress had taken the decision after many workers and labourers did not have the money to pay for their tickets.
Congress leader P Chidambaram said the party's decision puts the government to shame.
On BJP's criticism, Venugopal said, "we do not want to play politics in this. This is not the time to play politics. Those who are having no money are unable to travel in these trains, that is why our Karnataka PCC has paid for them. This is there in Kerala, where migrants do not have money to pay."
"Even today we call upon the PM to leave the false prestige and utilise thousands of crores in COVID-19 PM Care Fund. We urge Railways to withdraw its order issued earlier to ensure travel of every migrant labour and workers is made free," he said.
Meanwhile, in a tweetBJP MP Subramanian Swamy claimed that migrant workers returning home will not have to pay money as the rail travel will be free from now onwards.
"Talked to Piyush Goel's office. The government will pay 85 percent and the state government 15 percent. Migrant labour will go free. Ministry will clarify with an official statement," Swamy tweeted.
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