Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday blamed the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government for hundreds of migrant workers gathering outside Bandra railway station here by defying the coronavirus lockdown norms.
Terming it as a "very serious" incident, the former chief minister said it was the responsibility of the state government to arrange for proper food for the workers, but it did not happen.
On the other hand, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik said the workers gathered outside the station allegedly after a message about trains resuming operations started doing rounds. He said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had been demanding that the Centre facilitate the return of the migrant workers to their respective native states, but the Centre did not allow it.
"It is a very serious incident that thousands of workers took to the street in Bandra. This picture pains my mind. It is the responsibility of the state to arrange for the workers from outside the states, to give them proper food, facilities," Fadnavis tweeted.
The Leader of Opposition said the state government should learn a lesson from this incident and take care that such incidents do not recur.
"But it is unfortunate that the Centre is being blamed in such a situation to escape (from the responsibility). The fight against corona(virus) is not political, please note this at least now. It is my earnest request that we fight this battle seriously," he said.
Fadnavis did not name any leader who blamed the Centre for the incident though Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray has blamed the Centre for the protest by hundreds of migrant workers near the railway station. Thackeray also sought a roadmap to facilitate the return journey of workers to their states.
Another BJP leader Kirit Somaiya targetted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, questioning how come these many people gathered outside the station and what the intelligence wing was doing.
"From where these people came? How suddenly so many could gather there in spite of (section) 144 (of CrPc being in force)? Since the lockdown started, Bandra Police never allowed more than four persons to gather there. Then how and why today?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Malik said Thackeray had been demanding the Centre to make arrangements so that the migrant workers could return to their native states, but the NDA government did not allow it.
"Migrant workers were demanding to go to their villages and hence the crowd. It is said somebody circulated a message that a train is to leave (for the home states of the migrant workers)...if anyone has indeed circulated such a message, it will be probed into," Malik said.
Hitting back at Somaiya, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the biggest problem with the country is that it has "irresponsible and insensitive" leaders like Somaiya who allegedly thinks of a conspiracy angle during the crisis.
Sawant further claimed the migrant workers are more interested in returning to their respective villages than getting food.
"If Modi ji had given time for them to return then we would not have had to see people coming on streets like Delhi, Surat or Bandra. State govt can provide food but can't make them reach their home," Sawant retorted.
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