The war of words between the Uttar Pradesh government and the Congress General Seceratry Priyanka Gandhi showed no signs of abating as the state Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma hit out at the Congress leader over the issue of buses arranged by them for migrant labourers.
Dinesh Sharma alleged that Congress was doing nothing more than a “political stunt” by making tall announcement of arranging 1000 buses for transportation of migrants and later, is turned out, the details of the vehicles submitted to the state government show that many were three wheeler, tempos and even ambulance vans.
The state and Priyanka are engaged in a bitter letter war as both of them writing to each other over the buses arranged for taking the migrants to their destinations. As many as 9 letters were exchanged between them. Amidst all this, the buses that were supposed to come to Ghaziabad and Noida were still stuck at various places. As per the letter written by Priyanka Gandhi’s office at 3.45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, the UP government has still not allowed the buses to enter into the state.
The row erupted on May 16 when Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offered to provide 1,000 buses for migrant workers heading for their homes in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress initially claimed that the state government was ignoring the offer with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath refusing even to give an appointment to a party delegation. Even while accusing the Congress of playing politics over the plight of migrant workers, the UP government on Monday formally accepted the offer. It asked the Congress to submit a list of the buses and their drivers and conductors.
Dy CM Dinesh Sharma said, today: “The question which needs to be asked here is why Congress is confusing everyone since the beginning. What do they want? Should the government work for the people of the state or waste its time in a political stunt started by Congress.”
He added, “There are many buses of Rajasthan Government in the list of 1000 buses which Congress claims to have arranged for migrant workers. 297 buses don’t have fitness certificate, 98 are three-wheelers, cars and ambulances and 68 vehicles don’t have any papers. They should send these buses to Rajasthan, Punjab and Maharashtra where they are required. Here in UP, we are doing better than these Congress states.”
According to the Congress, most of its buses are massed at the Rajasthan-Uttar Pradesh border, awaiting permission to cross over into the state’s Agra district.
In a tweet in the evening, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi urged that the state government should at least let the buses found fit by it to enter the state. She said there were 879 such buses. UP government has crossed the limit, she said, accusing it of creating hurdles in an effort to help migrant workers stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown.
She said if the Yogi Adityanath government wishes the Congress can put BJP banners on the buses, but they should be allowed to run.
-India Legal Bureau