Fadnavis' claims on Centre spending Rs 300 cr on migrants returning home false: Anil Deshmukh

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday refuted claims made by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis that the cost of ticket for migrant workers, being sent from the state, is being incurred by Centre instead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday refuted claims made by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis that the cost of ticket for migrant workers, being sent from the state, is being incurred by Centre instead of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Earlier, addressing a press conference via video conferencing, Fadnavis, the former chief minister, said that "600 Sharmik trains have left from Maharashtra, in which Rs 50 lakh have been spent on each train by the Centre," while the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government had just spent "Rs 7-9 lakh on tickets."

"Claims by Devendra Fadnavis on the Centre spending Rs 300 crore on migrant labourers going back home are wholly false and misleading. Ticket costs on every single migrant labourer have been borne completely by the CM Relief Fund!" Deshmukh's tweet read. A blame-game had taken place earlier between the BJP-led Centre and MVA government in Maharashtra with the latter alleging that the Centre was not allocating special trains, during the COVID-19 induced lockdown phase, despite being repeatedly asked to do so for sending migrant workers home. The Ministry of Railways had later said that it had not received lists for the requirement of trains from the state government.

Earlier today, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was concerned about the migrant labourers stuck in Maharashtra and he asked to immediately arrange for 145 trains that the Maharashtra government demanded, to ensure that migrants are sent back immediately to their homes. He said that Indian Railways worked all night to ensure compliance with the Prime Minister's order. Goyal also said that despite the fact that the Maharashtra government sent incomplete details and incoherent list, 145 trains were sent to Maharashtra. (ANI)

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