Rahul Gandhi said there should be a broad framework of protection of migrants.
Increased testing for coronavirus and the question of migrant labourers dominated the second zoom session of senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Both issues have been at the centre stage of the crisis the country is facing over the global pandemic.
"We must have a broad framework of protection of migrants, we must insist that migrants are protected," said Rahul Gandhi, adding that it must be acknowledged that the "state governments are actually going to be responsible for driving this thing and different state governments choose different methodologies for solving this problem".
The hardships being faced by migrant labourers has been a key area of concern since the lockdown started and thousands of them started making their way back to their villages on foot. After the Centre said it was defeating the purpose of the lockdown and ordered states to seal borders, incidents reported from various parts of the country highlighted their plight in absence of regular income and sometimes even food and shelter.
Last week, nearly a month after the lockdown was declared, several states, including Uttar Pradesh, took initiative for the return of migrant labourers.
Migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, who were working in Haryana, were being sent back to districts of western Uttar Pradesh, including Bulandshahr and Meerut, through Haryana roadways buses.
But the move got a warning from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who said he would "request against it".
"I heard UP Chief Minister's statement (on running buses) and I would request against it. I feel, at this point, we need to exercise caution. This is not the time," he told NDTV.
Mr Gandhi said, "The movement of the migrants should depend on the two states and they should have a conversation".
"One must leave it to the home state of the migrants to figure out a way of taking them back. The bulk will have to remain where they are and they have to be immediately given cash and grain," said former Union Minister P Chidambaram.
The Congress leaders also agreed that the country should increase the testing facilities.
Calling the existing testing facilities "inadequate", Manmohan Singh said, "Without adequate testing facilities we cannot conquer this menace".
"10 million tests should be conducted to reach the threshold level of 1 per cent of the population," said senior leader and former union minister Jairam Ramesh.