Migrant workers clash with the police during their agitation for arrangements to return to their homes, amid ongoing Covid-19 lockdown in Surat, Monday, May 4, 2020. PTI

A political slugfest broke out on Monday over the “homecoming” of migrants with the Congress offering to pay for the travel of stranded workers and the BJP hitting back, saying the railways was already bearing 85 per cent of the travel cost and that only 15 per cent was being taken from state governments.

Apart from the Congress, other Opposition parties, including the CPI-M, the National Conference and the Loktantrik Janata Dal have criticised the Centre amidst reports that migrant workers were not able to afford the travel back to their home towns.

Accusing the Centre and the Indian Railways of ignoring the demands made by the Congress for ensuring safe and free travel of migrant workers and labourers, party president Sonia Gandhi announced on Monday that the party's state units would bear the cost of rail travel of needy stranded migrants as a 'humble contribution' to show solidarity with those who had contributed to the nation's development.

Her statement picked out the wrong done by the central government where it “barely gave four-hour notice of the lockdown” denying workers and migrants labourers an opportunity to return to their homes. The Congress chief further questioned the government on the railway ministry’s decision to donate Rs. 151 crores to the PM’s corona fund.

“…then why can’t these essential members of our nation’s fabric be given a fraction of same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress?” said Gandhi.

Stranded migrant workers from different states queue up outside the District Hospital to collect health certificates as part of the formalities to leave for their native places, amid Covid-19 lockdown in Pune, Maharashtra, Monday, May 4, 2020. PTI

Workers clash with police in Gujarat

Hundreds of migrant workers seeking to return home clashed with police and pelted stones at them near a village in Gujarat’s Surat district on Monday, following which security personnel lobbed teargas shells and baton-charged the agitated workers, an official said.

Several labourers also came out on a road in Rajkot demanding they be sent back to their hometowns, while some migrant workers got their heads tonsured in an area of Surat after being unable to go back home.

Over 500 workers gather in Pune, dispersed

More than 500 migrant workers from other states gathered in the Warje area of Pune in Maharashtra on Monday, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse the crowd, an officer said. He blamed the sudden gathering to the misunderstanding among workers that police had opened a counter to fill online forms which are mandatory to facilitate their return to home states.

'Workers generally gather at a specific location, 'majur adda', under the flyover in Warje area from where they get hired,' the Warje police station officer said.

Explaining the sequence of events, he said some labourers staying in a shelter home thought that police had opened a counter under the flyover to fill forms and started thronging the spot in the afternoon. As many as 500 people gathered at the spot even as police personnel struggled to clear the confusion.

Other Congress leaders also joined Gandhi to attack the Narendra Modi government, saying that while it brought back those stranded abroad free of cost it was making these poor people pay. They also demanded that the PM Cares Fund be used for migrants.

'On one hand, the railways is charging fares from labourers stranded in other states while on the other, the railway ministry is donating Rs 151 crore to the PM-Cares Fund. Just resolve this puzzle,' Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

The BJP hit back saying the railways had subsidised 85 per cent of ticket fares for Shramik special trains being run to ferry migrant workers and the state government had to pay the remaining 15 per cent.

'Rahul Gandhiji, I have attached guidelines of MHA which clearly states that 'no tickets to be sold at any station'. The railways has subsidised 85 per cent and state governments have to pay 15 per cent. The state government can pay for the tickets (Madhya Pradesh's BJP govt is paying). Ask Congress state governments to follow suit,' Patra tweeted.

The BJP leader further clarified that for each Shramik Express, about 1,200 tickets are given by the railways to the concerned state government. The state governments are supposed to clear the ticket price and hand over the tickets to workers, he added.

There was no official reaction from the Indian Railways, while, off the record, sources dubbed the controversy as 'political'.

Criticising the government, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said, 'As the name shows, the new fund is exclusively for those whom Modi cares for. The poor and the vulnerable, the value creators, he clearly doesn't care for. Callous. Cruel. Criminal,' he tweeted along with a cartoon showing a poor migrant saying they were also NRIs (not required Indians).'

NC president Omar Abdullah also tweeted on Sunday, 'If you are stuck abroad during this Covid crisis this government will fly you back for free but if you are a migrant worker stranded in another state be prepared to cough up the cost of travel (with social distancing cost added). Where did 'PM Cares' go?'.

Opposition leader Sharad Yadav said migrant workers should not have been asked to pay the train fare in this hour of crisis for them. All sections of society are paying a price for the government's apathy, he said, adding this would not have happened if the lockdown had been imposed in a planned manner.

The railways rolled out the Shramik special trains on Friday to ferry migrants, stranded due to the Covid-19 lockdown, to their respective states.

The government came in for criticism after a railway circular said, 'The local state government authority shall handover tickets to passengers cleared by them and collect the ticket fare and hand over the total amount to the railways.'

Terming the Congress president's decision as 'historic', AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shed his 'false prestige' and come forward in paying for travel of migrants seeking to return home.

They alleged that the Congress had taken the decision after many workers and labourers did not have the money to pay for their tickets.

Congress leader P Chidambaram said the party's decision puts the government to shame.

On BJP's criticism, Venugopal said, 'we do not want to play politics in this. This is not the time to play politics. Those who are having no money are unable to travel in these trains, that is why our Karnataka PCC has paid for them. This is there in Kerala, where migrants do not have money to pay.'

'We urge Railways to withdraw its order issued earlier to ensure travel of every migrant labour and workers is made free,' he said.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy called the government's decision 'moronic' to charge steep fares from 'half starved migrant labourers'. He also reminded that Indians stranded abroad were brought back by Air India for free.

However, in a tweet later, Swamy Claimed that migrant workers returning home will not have to pay money as the rail travel will be free from now onwards.

'Talked to Piyush Goel's office. The government will pay 85 per cent and the state government 15 per cent. Migrant labour will go free. Ministry will clarify with an official statement,' Swamy tweeted.