New Delhi: The Kerala government Tuesday attacked the Centre for sending a train from Mumbai without intimating it.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI: “Indian Railways decided to send a train from Mumbai to Kerala. No information about it was passed to the Kerala government.”
Vijayan added: “(The matter) was taken up with the Railway Minister. We said that this would undermine measures taken by our government to ensure proper monitoring and control the spread of Covid. But then there was the issue of deciding to send another train in the same way from Delhi. Therefore, the matter has been brought to the notice of the Prime Minister.”
Indian Railways decided to send a train from Mumbai to Kerala. No info about it was passed to Kerala Govt. It was taken up with Railway Minister. We said that this would undermine measures taken by our govt to ensure proper monitoring&control spread of #COVID19: Kerala CM. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/B33Jd9rWZL
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2020
Kerala’s Finance Minister Thomas Isaac also attacked the Centre on Twitter, accusing it of trying to spread the virus in the state by not informing the state authorities about migrants coming to the state.
“A train came from Mumbai last week. We were intimated only after train started. Unscheduled stops. Majority of passengers no passes. Anarchy in pandemic times. Railways want to be super spreader in Kerala. Stop ranting and behave responsibly. At least try to track your trains,” Isaac tweeted.
A train came from Mumbai last week. We were intimated only after train started . Unscheduled stops. Majority of passengers no passes. Anarchy in pandemic times.Railways want to be super spreader in Kerala. Stop ranting and behave responsibly. At least try to track your trains.
— Thomas Isaac (@drthomasisaac) May 26, 2020
However, a railway ministry official denied the claims made by the Kerala government.
“The railways is not running trains to any states without informing them…There is round-the-clock communication with every state,” the official told ThePrint.
Also read: Testing smartly, community care part of Kerala’s Covid strategy: Health Minister Shailaja
Not the first opposition state to make allegations
Last week, the central government changed its guidelines for running ‘shramik special’ trains, and did away with the clause which required the explicit consent of the receiving state before running the trains.
Railway Ministry sources had said the step was necessitated after several states refused to coordinate with the Centre in the running of these special trains for stranded migrants.
With Tuesday’s statements, Kerala has become the latest opposition-ruled state wrangling with the Centre over ‘shramik special’ trains.
Last week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had accused the Centre of providing only half the trains it required to ferry migrants.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal responded to Thackeray with a 12-part tweet, prodding the CM to send the list of trains he claimed to have demanded to the railway ministry within an hour.
Goyal also subsequently accused Thackarey of making a baseless accusations to divert attention from a crumbling administration in the state.
महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने जितनी ट्रेन माँगी, उतनी हमने उन्हें दी, लेकिन ट्रेनें वहां से बिना यात्रियों के लौटी क्योंकि वो पैसेंजर ही नही ला पाये।
कल शाम को महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने रेलवे से 145 ट्रेन मांगी, हमने पूरी रात समीक्षा कर के, योजना बना कर 145 ट्रेन महाराष्ट्र पहुंचाई। pic.twitter.com/oL4AW98rN6
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 26, 2020
Also read: Yogi vs Uddhav vs Piyush Goyal: Will politics over migrant workers hurt economic revival?