In his speech in Lok Sabha on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra accused Opposition governments of encouraging immigrants to leave and accelerating the spread of Covid infection during the first wave of the epidemic, using the word “paap” (sin). This drew angry responses from the ANC in Maharashtra and the Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal calling them “directly false”.
An examination of the sequence of events and the efforts made by the Institute and the provinces during the first wave shows that little thought has crept into what the closure of the country might cause for immigrant workers.
Initially, the provinces urged immigrants to stay, but the closure that led to many unemployment and a lack of safety net and unknown fears forced many to hit the road back home. On March 28, 2020, four days closed, amidst chaos on the streets as thousands walked to their homes in UP and Bihar homes, Kejriwal urged immigrant workers not to leave the city. That same night, UP Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath said: “UP government has arranged for 1,000 workers’ buses …” Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray made the same request on April 19, promising to send home workers if the plague is over.
Statements issued by the Center a month after the closure, indicate that it was only on April 24 that the PM began targeting the public for immigrant workers. During an online interview with Panchayati Raj Diwas, he asked a sarpanch from Bihar about “migrant friends from your panchayat” who may have “returned home from other cities and those who have not yet returned will want to come”.
Earlier, in a speech by Mann Ki Baat on March 29, the Prime Minister had apologized to the nation for putting “the poor in the lurch”.
Statements available on the Press Information Bureau website indicate that the issue of “immigrant workers” has been raised by the provinces since April 2, 10 days after the closure, when the Prime Minister clashed with CMs Covid-19 . The story of
“The hardships faced by immigrant workers” were announced again on April 6 – this time the Union ministers told the PM.
The fact that the Union’s Interior Ministry was aware of the incident was revealed on March 27 – the day before Kejriwal and Adityanath reached out to immigration workers – when Interior Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with CMs and asked them to provide assistance to migrants. On the same day, the MHA issued advice to all provinces to ensure the accommodation and meals of out-of-work workers.
But this did not stop the migration.
On March 28, the MHA amended its 2015 declaration and allowed the provinces to use the SDRF funds to assist immigrants. Home Affairs Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to the Permanent Secretaries, asking them to “set up relief camps on the highways”.
The confusion marked the efforts of the Institute and the provinces. Delhi and UP pulled out buses to help the migrants, and by evening, thousands had filled the Anand Vihar bus terminal at the border.
On March 29, the Center asked the provinces to close state and provincial borders and issued orders to close migrant workers at a nearby shelter. On March 31, the Supreme Court intervened and ordered that adequate facilities for immigration workers be provided. The government had pointed out to the SC that the mass exodus was the result of “panic caused by false news”. On the back foot, the Center maintained peace even on April 24 when UP began evacuating immigrant workers from buses in violation of MHA guidelines. Five days later, the MHA allowed movement between the provinces of immigrant workers. On May 1, the Center launched the Shramik Special Trains. But it would never meet the need.