PM must wake up to reality about poverty: Chidambaram

New Delhi:A day after 15 migrant construction workers, including a child, were crushed to death by a truck in Gujarat's Surat, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday slammed the Modi government at the Centre, saying it is time that the Prime Minister woke up to reality and not repeat the statistics about toilets, housing and open defection-free numbers fed by bureaucrats.

In a statement, Chidambaram said, "The tragedy of 15 migrant construction workers being run over and killed in Gujarat must open our eyes to the reality of poverty in India."

Firing salvos at the government, former Finance Minister Chidambaram asked "why were the workers sleeping on the roadside? Is not the contractor obliged to provide them shelter near the construction site? Where do they wash, bathe, cook and keep their children? On the roadside in the open?"

"The Prime Minister must wake up to the reality and not repeat the 'statistics' about toilets, housing and ODF fed by bureaucrats," he said.

His remarks came a day after at least 15 migrant labourers from Rajasthan, including a child sleeping near a road were crushed to death and six others injured by a speeding dumper truck in Surat.

The incident happened when the dumper truck lost control and ran over some 20 sugarcane farm labourers. Twelve were killed on the spot, one died while being shifted to hospital and two succumbed later during treatment while six others were being treated in hospital.