Unfortunate that migrants being charged money for rail, bus travel: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday said it was unfortunate that the Centre and the state governments were charging money from stranded migrant workers while ferrying them home from their workplaces.

"It is unfortunate that Centre and state governments are taking fare from migrant labourers while sending them home in trains and buses," Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

A controversy had erupted on Monday after several opposition parties demanded that migrant workers should not be charged for the train tickets. While the Congress offered to pay for them, the BJP said the railways was already providing subsidised tickets bearing 85 percent of the travel costs.

"If governments hesitate in paying the fare of the migrants, the BSP will take help of its cadre and will contribute in making arrangements for these workers," Mayawati said.