Kerala Cong protests against Centre, state govt for 'negligence' towards expats

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Friday staged a protest against the Centre and state governments for their alleged "negligence" towards expats.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Friday staged a protest against the Centre and state governments for their alleged "negligence" towards expats. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Mullapally Ramachandran launched the protest.

Addressing the party workers, Chennithala said: "We are forced to do this protest in this COVID-19 crisis time. A lot of people are dying abroad and people are calling us." "Expats are sending money to the states. In all our crisis expats have helped us. Now they are in problem and we are not helping them," he added.

The Congress leader further said that ten to fifteen people are staying together in a single room abroad and people who have lost their jobs are willing to come back to India. "People with expired visa are also waiting to come back. Gulf countries have different laws. So conducting their COVID-19 test before boarding is difficult," he stressed. The Opposition has asked the government to bring back Malayalees from other parts of the country in the lockdown period. "Now, only one or two flights are coming to Kerala under Vande Bharat mission. It is a failed mission. It can not bring back all expats to the states," he said.

He said that the government is trying to block chartered flight services by making COVID-19 negative certificate mandatory for travelling to Kerala, adding that the new order is against the resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly. "We want the government to provide testing facilities to expats and if they found positive them the government should arrange proper treatment for them," he said. (ANI)

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