26 people died and more than 30 were injured in the accident at Auriya.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has responded to Congress demands for his resignation over the accident at Auraiya with a taunt, saying the party resembled a cat which was seeking salvation after consuming a hundred mice. The accident, which took place over the weekend, had claimed 26 lives. More than 30 people were injured as two trucks carrying migrants, had collided on the highway, 200 km from state capital Lucknow.
Yogi Adityanath reminded the Congress that the migrants were coming from Congress-ruled states.
"The Congress leadership should understand that one truck (involved in the accident) was from Rajasthan, while the other was coming from Punjab," Yogi Adityanath was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India to a news channel.
"A hefty amount of money was taken from the migrant labourers, who were returning to Bihar and Jharkhand. What were they (Congress) doing then? You will exploit people and then put up an honest face," he added.
"The (Hindi) idiom '100 chuhe khaakar, billi Haj ko chali (a cat seeking salvation after consuming 100 rats)'' fits the Congress today. This is the shameful face of the Congress. I condemn the Congress leadership for making fun of the migrant labourers," he said.
The opposition had condemned the state government after the accident -- the last in a string of incidents where desperate migrant labourers who decided to foot it to their faraway villages, lost their lives in accidents on the highway.
The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress accused the state government of being insensitive towards their plight and demanded the Chief Minister's resignation.
The Samajwadi Party had called it "murder" for which the state government was responsible, saying it was in charge of ensuring the migrants' safety.
After the accident, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued orders to stop entry of the migrants in the state. They are being stopped at the state's borders and registered, after which they will be ferried to their destination.