Priyanka Gandhi sought permission from Yogi Adityanath to arrange buses for migrants (File)
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is indulging in "petty politics" by allegedly trying to make a "political capital" out of the migrant crisis, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh said today.
"It is unfortunate that the Congress Party is trying to make a political capital out of the migrant issue. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seeking to send buses to the UP border shows that she does not understand the concept of logistics. She is purely indulging in petty politics," Mr Singh said.
His statement came after the Congress general secretary sought permission from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to run 1,000 buses for migrant workers wanting to return home. She said the Congress party would bear the cost.
"The migrant workers are not originating from UP but from states like Punjab, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. These states are either ruled by the Congress or its allies. If she understood the logistics, the buses should be kept in those states to ferry them up to UP destination," Mr Singh said.
He said, "Unfortunately, she cannot tell her own CMs and is hence pointing fingers at the UP government. This shows her poor understanding of the affairs."
The minister pointed out that the Yogi Adityanath government has booked over 400 trains, while 11,000 state buses were engaged in bringing Uttar Pradesh migrants stranded in other states.
After following the proper protocols of health, each migrant worker is given 15 days'' ration and Rs 1,000 to meet incidental expenses. Moreover, after they reach their villages, the UP government will provide them jobs, Mr Singh claimed.
In a letter to the chief minister, Priyanka Gandhi had Saturday alleged that despite continued announcements by the government, no proper arrangement has been made for the safe return of migrant workers.
She had said the Congress Party wanted to run 500 buses each from Gazipur (Ghaziabad) and Noida borders for them, adding that the All India Congress Committee will bear the entire expenses.
"We are seeking your permission to run 1,000 buses to help the migrant labourers," she had said.
Later today, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a series of tweets in Hindi said, "A number of labourers are stuck at the borders of UP. They are moving on foot, and today they are made to stand for hours. They are not allowed to come inside (the state). They are without jobs for the past 50 days, and their livelihood has come to a standstill."
In another tweet, the Congress general secretary said, "Mere announcements and doing petty politics in the name of sending labourers home will not do. More trains should be run, buses should be run. We have sought permission to run 1,000 buses, allow us to serve (the people)."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)