Will give WB chief secy names of over 3 lakh workers stuck outside state: Dilip Ghosh

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Monday said he would soon write to Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, giving him names and details of over three lakh stranded workers who were eager to return to the state.

Of the 3.29 lakh names that would be sent to Sinha, 90 per cent were engaged in gold jewellery business in different parts of the country, Ghosh said.

"Last month, I had written to chief ministers and chief secretaries of 12 states giving names of 11,790 stranded people from Bengal. The information was duly shared with Sinha. This time, too, I would send an e-mail to Sinha mentioning names of 3.29 lakh labourers stuck outside Bengal," Ghosh said.

 

Iterating that the state was not keen on asking for special train services from the central government to bring home the migrant workers, he said, "I have information that people are walking along railway tracks and highways at many places to reach Bengal."

The state BJP chief also claimed that the railway ministry had offered 16 trains to the TMC government to ferry home the labourers.

Two special trains carrying stranded workers have so far arrived in West Bengal, one from Ajmer and another from Ernakulam. The government has said thousands more were expected to return over the next few days.

"The state should monitor the movement of these people and make arrangements for their travel and medical screening to prevent virus transmission," Ghosh said.

Slamming the TMC dispensation for its "inept handling" of the COVID-19 situation, he said law and order has completely collapsed in the state.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP MP from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee accused the TMC government of appeasing the minority community in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Chatterjee claimed that she had received reports that some people in Chandannagar, Telenipara and Urdipara areas of Hooghly have refused to abide by the quarantine norms, despite testing positive for coronavirus.

"With Assembly polls approaching in Bengal next year, the ruling dispensation in the state looks the other way during various acts of lockdown violation by a section of a particular community," the MP said, adding that she would apprise the governor of the situation.

Joining the chorus, BJP leader Arvind Menon said the Mamata Banerjee government has unleashed a reign of terror in the state.

"West Bengal is in deep crisis today due to Mamata's administrative failure - instead of standing by the side of the people of West Bengal in the misfortune, Mamata is unleashing a reign of terror and her 'Ma-maati-Manush' syndicate stands exposed," he tweeted.