BJP govts not allowing trains booked' by party, says UP Cong; claim contradicts railways policy

The Congress on Thursday accused the BJP governments in UP and Gujarat of not giving permission for trains booked by it to bring migrant workers back home, even as the railways clarified that it is taking bookings from states, not political parties.

"The Gujarat Congress had booked 12 trains from Surat for migrant workers, but the collector is sitting on the file and not letting them go, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu claimed in a statement.

Trains had been booked to bring people back to Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Faizabad, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Ballia among others," he said.

When contacted, a railway official, however, clarified that only state governments can hire trains for bringing home people stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The state receiving the migrant workers and the state sending them have to agree on the arrangement for the railways to run a special train, the official said, in an apparent contradiction to Lallu's claim.

Under the current circumstances, political parties cannot hire trains, Indian Railways clarified.

In UP, Lallu said about 10 lakh labourers are stranded in other states because of the lockdown.

The state Congress chief said about 19,200 labourers are stuck in Surat alone and the district magistrate has said he will allow trains to run once the Uttar Pradesh government gives permission.

Besides Surat, permission has also not being given for six trains from Valsad and five from Bharuch in Gujarat, he claimed.

"The BJP governments had made the migrants believe that they will be brought back for free. But the reality is that the BJP and middleman associated with it are realising much more than the fare set for it," he alleged.

He accused the BJP governments in the two state of indulging in a "political conspiracy".

The UP Congress has repeatedly sought details from the Yogi Adityanath government on stranded labourers but got no reply, he said.

Lallu claimed that 13 trains booked by the Congress have brought thousands of migrants from Rajasthan to UP's Ballia, Gorakhpur, Fatehpur, Jaunpur, Saharanpur, Gazipur, Kanpur, Lucknow and Sultanpur.

He urged the state government to keep political rivalry aside during the pandemic and allow the movement of trains reserved by the Congress.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said so far 318 trains have brought 3.84 lakh migrant labourers to UP from other states.

A statement said 174 of these trains have come from Gujarat.

The CM said no money will be charged from the workers travelling on special trains arranged on the request of the state, according to an official statement.