Amit Shah: Disallowing migrants’ trains to Bengal is injustice

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not been extending support to the Centre over return of the stranded migrant workers.

In a letter to the West Bengal Chief Minister, he pointed out that Central Government has facilitated more than 2 lakh migrant workers to reach home but the government was not allowing the trains to enter the state.

“Migrants from West Bengal are also eager to reach home. This is injustice and will create further hardship for them”, Mr Shah communicated.

'Shramik Special' trains are being run by the Centre to facilitate transport of migrant workers from different parts of the country to various destinations.

The issue of migrant workers is the latest flash point between the Centre and the West Bengal government amid a row over the state’s efforts to control the Covid-19 cases in the state.

This comes a day after Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that he requested to Mr Shah to take steps so that patients, students and migrant workers of West Bengal, who are now stranded in various states, could return home.

Centre on Thursday shot a letter to the state government, pointing out about the low testing rate of Coronavirus cases, higher mortality rate and huge violation of Covid protocol in the state.