Sonia Gandhi: Congress To Pay Migrant Workers' Train Fare

Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi slammed the Centre for charging migrant workers returning home for their train travel during the lockdown period following the COVID-19 outbreak and announced that the Congress will pick up the tab of their travel costs.

Sonia Gandhi described it as the party's humble contribution "in service of compatriots and to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them." She described the hard work and sacrifice of workers and labourers as the foundation of the nation.

The Congress chief attacked the Centre over the crisis created through the lockdown leaving migrant labourers stranded across the country and pointed out that to this day hundreds of thousands of workers and migrant labourers continue to languish in different states. She added that they wish to return to their homes and families, but they do not have enough money nor is there a provision for free transport. She criticised the Union government and the rail ministry for charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis.

Sonia Gandhi also pointed out that for the first time in post-partition India one witnessed a tragedy of such massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were compelled to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot. They were forced to do so without food, medicines, money and without transport, she observed.

The Congress supremo also questioned as to how the rail ministry could donate Rs.151 crores to the PM's Corona fund and not arrange free travel for poor migrant workers stranded in various parts of the country.Migrant Workers