(Sharanjit Singh Dhillon says Bharat Bhushan Ashu directly culpable and should be dismissed immediately)
(Asks Congmen who tried to take cheap publicity by distributing pamphlets to labourers what they had done for their welfare )
(Says district level committees should be made to resolve grievances of migrant labourers and they should be given financial assistance)
Chandigarh, May 17( Wishavwarta)- The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the Congress government for abandoning migrant labourers by refusing to distribute ration to them forcing them to flee the State at a juncture when the industry and farmers needed them most.
In a statement here, SAD legislature party wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said migrant labourers were forced to flee Punjab because the government did not come to their aid for weeks together. “The State government did not even seem it fit to distribute food material received from the centre to the migrants leading to one death besides near starvation conditions for thousands. It is because of this that despite there being need for workers in the industrial sector as well as for paddy transplantation the migrant labourers are choosing to go back to their homes”.
Mr Sharanjit Dhillon said while chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh could not escape responsibility for the misery caused to lakhs of people, food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu had failed to fulfil his responsibility to feed the labourers and should be sacked forthwith. “Lakhs of migrant labourers will never forgive Bharat Bhushan Ashu for keeping food material sent by the centre locked in godowns and even diverting them to Congressmen but not distributing the same among them”.
The SAD legislature party leader also asked the chief minister to form district level committees to help resolve the grievances of the migrant labourers. He said even SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal had given this suggestion in an All Party meeting to the chief minister but the government did not heed this advice. “It is not too late even now to form Committees at district and even at the city level for Ludhiana city to interact with the labourers who have still not left Punjab so that they can be retained”. He said the government should offer labourers free ration, financial incentives and tie up their employment so that they could make a fresh start. “This is also necessary if we want to revive our industry besides ensuring labour is available for paddy transplantation from June 10”, he added.
Mr Dhillon also asked Congressmen who had tried to get cheap publicity by distributing pamphlets to migrant labourers who were fleeing Punjab because the State refused them ration to tell what they had done for the welfare of the migrants. He said even the tickets which Congressmen claimed had been paid for by Congress President Sonia Gandhi were in fact paid by tax payers of the State. He said it was strange that after making grandiose announcements that State Congress Committees would pay for the tickets of the migrants returning to their homes even Mrs Sonia Gandhi had become silent. “It is high time for the State government to wake up and take concrete steps to help the labourers instead of being happy with Congressmen doing cheap ‘tamashas’ for the consumption of 10 Janpath”, Mr Dhillon added.