Centre should ensure safe, free travel for migrant workers: TMC

The Trinamool Congress on Monday joined the opposition chorus in criticising the Union government for its decision to charge money from migrant labourers to ferry them home in trains and said the Centre should ensure the workers get to return to their native places without any hassle.

"The labourers should be brought back home for free. Why is the railway ministry charging them? It is the duty of the Central government to ensure safe and free travel of the migrant workers to their homes," senior TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi said during a virtual press meet here.

Referring to the Centre's decision to send health teams to places with high incidence of COVID-19, Derek O'Brien, another senior leader of the party, said the fact that only one team has been sent to Bengal proves that the situation here is far better than other states.

"One central health team has been sent to Bengal, and two to other states. It proves that the situation in Bengal is better than other states. The team will be visiting Kolkata.

"We hope that BJP will now shut down its fake news factory aimed at spreading canards against Bengal," O'Brien, the leader of the TMC in Rajya Sabha, said.