Sonia Gandhi assures labourers and migrant work force to finance their railway transportation

The Congress president Sonia Gandhi has expressed her serious concern over the plight of the labour class and people hailing from the down trodden sections of the society in view of the clampdown allegedly terming it as arbitrary decision in just four hours notice and holding those at the helm responsible for their ( labourers) mounting distress due to their having been stuck in several states due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Congress president Sonia Gandhi has outrightly accused the government for the plight of thousands of poor workers, labourers and termed them as the backbone of our economy. Badly disturbed in view of the distressing condition of labourers and migrants languishing in aweful condition in various states of the country Congress president charged the ruling party of arbitrarily charging these poor people railway fares for their transportation to their respective states, the charge vehemently denied by the ruling party Mrs Sonia Gandhi while unambiguously assuring the labourers stranded in various parts and states of the country of her total support said that all the Congress chiefs n office bearers in every state of the country have been directed to bear the expences of the railway fares of each and every labourer or migrant worker wanting to travel by railways to reach their respectve homes during these critical days of lockdown.

Terming the poor n hapless labourers and migrants as the foundation of our nation for always working hard and sacrificing their lives, Sonia Gandhi in a hindi statement said : As the central government barely gave a four hour notice of the lockdown, workers and migrant labourers were denied the opportunity to return to their homes. She added that post partition 1947, this is the first time that India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot – without food, without medicines , without money, without transportation, without anything – except with the desire to return to their families and the loved ones. She added that what is more worrisome and disturbing is he fact that even today thousands of labourers and migrants are languishing in various states facing immense hardships and the central government and railway authorities are arbitrarily charging fares from these poor labourers in this hour of crisis.

SHE questioned what is the responsibilty of the government ? Further terming the labourers and the workers as the ambassadors of the nation’s growth Sonia Gandhi said : When our government can recognise the responsibility by arranging the free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad , when the govt can spend nearly 100 crores on transport and food etc for just one public programme in Gujarat, when the railway ministry hasthe largesse to donate Rs. 151 crores to the PM’s Corona Fund, then why can’t these essential members of our nation’s fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress ?

Complaining against the central government ofalways ignoring her party’s genuine demands Congress president Sonia Gandhi accused the ruling party dispensation of sidelinng them even on genine issues of peoples’ concern and said that the Indian National Congress has been raising the issue from the outset of the lockdown but the govt always ignored them. We had demanded free and safe travel for the labourers n migrants but our every demand was deliberately ignored. The Indian National Congess while expressing our protest against the central government and railway ministry has therefore taken a decision that every state Congress Committee shall bear the cost for the railway travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and shall take necessary step in this regard. Mrs Gandhi said this will be the Indian National Congress’s humble contribution in the service of our compatriots And to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them.