Govt left migrants to mercy of God: Cong

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday criticised the government for the second tranche of its stimulus package to boost the Covid-19 hit economy, saying it had provided just ~3,500 crore for the millions of migrant workers walking thousands of kilometres to reach their homes.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the entire press conference of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was a “classic display of arrogance, ignorance and insensitivity”.

“For the millions of migrants that you claim are the builders of this nation, all you have for them is ~3500 crore in terms of atta and chana. It is pathetic. They are left to the mercy of God. This is your empathy for the poor of this country. That’s why we say you are a suit boot ki sarkaar,” the Congress leader said.

Senior party leader Ahmed Patel said the government turned a “blind eye” to migrants. “The migrants & the poor were having great expectations after the PM’s speech. Sadly, the govt has turned a blind eye to their problems and is back to headline management. Govt should be serious about how much money it wants to transfer into hands of citizens.”

Earlier, former Congress president and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi said, “There is a dense darkness and these are difficult times, have courage... We will ensure that their screams reach the government and they get the help they deserve. They are not the ordinary public of the country, they are the flag bearers of the country’s self-respect. We will never let them bow down.”

But Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said the announcements showed the Prime Minister’s sensitivity.

“I welcome announcements by FM @nsitharaman Ji for the benefit of migrant workers. Free food to 8 Crore migrants...One Nation One Ration Card Scheme are major initiatives,” he tweeted.