Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday (May 9) requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk to Chief Ministers of states to allow migrant workers to return home.
Pawar spoke over the phone to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on the issue of repatriation of migrant workers to their home states during the coronavirus-induced lokdown period.
"I humbly request our @PMOIndia Shri. Narendra Modi ji to intervene in this matter by talking to the CMs of the respective states who are not allowing these people to come back home," the NCP chief shared a post on Twitter, without naming any state.
"Had a telephonic conversation with Shri @OfficeofUT - Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Shri @PiyushGoyal - the Union Railway Minister regarding the issue of migrant workers," Pawar twitted. He said Thackeray has assured him of making arrangements for the transportation of workers desirous of returning to their home states. "State Transport buses will be used for their travel," Pawar added.
On his part, Goyal also assured of making arrangements for the journeys of the workers by trains, Pawar said.
NCP's Nawab Malik, who is a minister in Maharashtra, had recently accused the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka of of adopting an uncooperative apporach in taking back migrant workers hailing from these two states. He said that such issues had not arisen from other states like Bihar, Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.
Hundreds of migrant workers have undertaken journey on foot to their home state in view of the loss of livelihood amidst the lockdown.
