Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday lashed out at other states for not caring about his state’s labourers.
“They (migrant labourers) had been working in other states. It was the responsibility of states where they worked to look after them. That did not happen. Most of them were forced to return home,” Nitish Kumar said while addressing panchayat members through video conferencing.
The CM also took exception to them being labelled pravasi (migrant). “How can they be dubbed pravasi when they are working in their own country? Only those persons working outside their country can be labelled as migrants,” he said.
Between 4 and 31 May, an estimated 30 lakh migrants returned to Bihar.
On Wednesday, Nitish used the occasion to assure the returning migrant labourers that his government would provide them employment through MGNREGA and various other schemes, so that they are not forced to return to other states for employment.
He gave out statistics on steps taken by his government to fight the coronavirus, stressing that around Rs 8,500 crore had been spent . “Rs 5,300 has been spent on each quarantined person,” he added, highlighting the steps taken by the Union government such as Rs 1,500 in each Jan Dhan account, free gas cylinders etc.
Also read: Bihar has a lot to lose due to Covid crisis, but Nitish Kumar is the most relaxed CM
CM had opposed return
For a number of weeks, Nitish had opposed the return of migrant labourers, saying that would dilute the spirit of the lockdown, even as states like UP and Gujarat ran buses to bring back their stranded population. In April, as images of migrant labourers walking over 1,000 km to return to Bihar surfaced, the Nitish government reacted only after they had gathered on the state’s border.
In May, lakhs of migrant labourers were sent to quarantine centres where there were complaints about lack of food and basic amenities. The Nitish government, which prided itself on setting up over 14,000 quarantine centres, and which at one time had over 14 lakh migrant labourers, now went for home quarantine instead.
During the Covid 19 crisis, the Nitish government has aired its views against other states several times. Delhi’s AAP government was blamed for triggering off the migrant crisis, and then again playing politics over rail fare for the special trains. Nitish took strong exception to UP CM Yogi Adityanath using buses for the return of migrant labourers of his state.
The influx of migrant labourers has resulted in a massive rise in Covid-19 cases in Bihar. The figure stood at 4,049 Tuesday, of which 2,903 are migrant labourers. Those returning from Maharashtra contribute 713 cases, followed by Delhi (681) and Gujarat (437).
Also read: Unemployment in Bihar haunts Nitish govt in poll year as it grapples with migrant crisis
Why Nitish has spoken at this stage
Nitish Kumar has been under fire from the opposition for the way he handled the crisis. There were visuals of returning angry migrant labourers lambasting him. A large section of these migrant labourers belong to the Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs), which form the backbone of Nitish and the NDA’s vote bank.
Political parties are in election mode for the assembly polls to be held before November this year, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal has been wooing the angry migrants. If they remain angry, it could spell electoral trouble for Nitish.
Shivanand Tiwari, national vice-president of the RJD, said was hiding his failure. “All parties are responsible for the current plight of migrant labourers. But Nitish is not only hiding his failure but also trying to shift the blame on other states. Had he allowed the trains and buses to come in March itself, the number of Covid-19 cases among migrant labourers would not have been as numerous,” Tiwari said.
“The Bihar government is silent on how it co-ordinated with other governments on migrant labourers during the crisis. Migrant labourers were lathi charged in Surat three times. Did Nitish talk to the Gujarat CM on this issue?” he asked. He said the returned migrants were not convinced about Nitish’s offer to give them jobs.
“On Tuesday hundreds of migrant labourers returned on buses sent to them by land owners in Punjab for the kharif sowing,” the RJD leader said, pointing out that many migrant labourers had caught the special trains that were returning to the states they work in.
Also read: Bad food, water fights, 2 toilets for 240 — Bihar’s migrants come home to a different crisis