Sonia Gandhi, the interim President of the Indian National Congress (INC,) on the 28th of May, shot a video message for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union Government.
In the video message, Ms. Gandhi demanded answers to the pain and struggle of poor during the lockdown and desperation of migrants to reach their natiive places.
Ms. Gandhi said, “For the past two months, the entire country has been going through serious financial crises including loss of livelihood caused by the lockdown.”
The video message was a part of the recently launched campaign “speak up India” in regard to the situation of the poor migrants who are struggling of starvation and walking home by foot.
The video further spoke about the pain and tears of approximately 40 lakh migrants, who are stranded in different parts of India due to the sudden announcement of the nationwide lockdown. Ms. Gandhi said, “For the first time since independence, you saw the painful sight of lakhs of migrants, barefoot, hungry, thirsty, with no means of transport, walking thousands of km to reach home. Their pain, their cries were heard by every heart in the country. But not the Government.”
The INC President said every poor family should get an amount of Rs. 7,500 per month for six months. In addition, they should also get an amount of Rs. 10,000 in cash straightaway, and 200 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA.)
Mrs Gandhi also urged the government to provide safe and free travel for migrants desperate to go home. She said, “Crores of jobs have been lost, lakhs of businesses have crashed, factories have shut down, farmers’ crops are unsold, the entire country saw the suffering, yet the government could not get any sense of it.”
In addition, she said, “Since Day 1, my Congress colleagues, economists, social scientists and leading voices in the country have repeatedly told the government that this is the time to heal wounds, help migrants, farmers and small businessmen hit by the pandemic,” she said, adding, “I don’t know why the centre is refusing to listen or do this.”
The Indian National Congress is fighting for the migrants of India who are said to be the most suffered class of Indian in the last 2 months due to the pandemic crisis.
Since the 24th of March, approximately 300 migrants died due to the bus, train accidents and starvation.
