Migrant woes 'greatest manmade tragedy' in India since Partition: Ramchandra Guha

The unfolding miseries of millions of poor people in the world's largest coronavirus lockdown is the greatest manmade tragedy in India since Partition, says historian and economist Ramchandra Guha.

Cautioning that there will be social and psychological consequences for the rest of the country too, he said the migrant tragedy could have been averted or at least minimised if Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given them a week's notice to return home before the lockdown kicked in.

"It is probably not as bad as Partition, for at that time there was also horrific communal violence. But it is nonetheless the greatest manmade tragedy in India since Partition," Guha told PTI in an interview.

In a televised address on the evening of March 24, Prime Minister Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown from midnight that day. The lockdown measures included banning train services, road transport and air travels to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The lockdown was extended thrice but certain relaxations have been allowed since late April.

"I have no idea about how the prime minister took the decisions he did. Did he consult with knowledgeable officials, or take inputs from his cabinet ministers? Or did he act unilaterally? asked the author of books such as Redeeming the Republic and India After Gandhi.

Even now, he added, the situation can be "slightly" salvaged if the prime minister chooses to adopt a more consultative approach, and takes advice from the best minds in the country, including those in the Opposition.

"But I rather fear that he won't. His cabinet ministers are busy shifting the responsibility to the states for cleaning up a crisis the Centre has created," the noted historian added.

Days after the lockdown came into force, lakhs of migrants, including daily wage workers, walked, cycled or hitchhiked to their home states hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres away. Two months on, the exodus from cities and towns across India continues.

The images of their struggle for survival shook the nation and made global headlines, raising questions about the government's handling of the situation.

Arguing that the tragedy could have been averted if Modi had given the migrant workers at least a week's notice to return home, Guha said, "That he or his advisers did not think of the consequences of a lockdown at four hours notice is mystifying. They bear direct responsibility for the humanitarian tragedy that has since unfolded."