Amit Shah accuses West Bengal govt of not allowing migrants into state

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the Centre is not getting the support it expects from the state government to help migrant workers reach home.

Shah said that the Centre has facilitated the journey of over two lakh migrant labourers to their homes and that workers from West Bengal are also eager to go back.

In a letter to Mamata Banerjee, Shah said, “West Bengal government is not allowing trains with migrants reaching the state. This is injustice with WB migrant labourers. This will create further hardship for them”.

The issue of migrant workers is the latest flashpoint between the Centre and the West Bengal government. They are already at loggerheads over the state’s efforts to control the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The Centre and the state have exchanged charges over the criteria for reporting deaths from the infection. While Bengal says the Centre is trying to make politics out of a public health crisis, the Centre says the state government is ignoring warnings to step up the fight against the disease.