Priyanka Gandhi slams PM Modi over 'migrant labourers' comment, asks 'what about the rallies he did?'

Narendra Modi had accused the Congress of giving free train tickets to migrants to leave Maharashtra, which he said lead to the spread of Covid-19 in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Pic: IANS

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's accusations that Congress gave free train tickets to migrants to leave Maharashtra which lead to the spread of Covid-19 in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and asked if PM Modi wanted the poor to be left helpless when they were returning to their homes on foot.

Speaking to media persons in Panaji, the Congress leader said, "People whom he had deserted, who had no way of returning to their homes, who were coming back on foot - did he want that nobody should help them? What did Modi ji want? What does he want?"

"What about the big rallies he did?" she remarked while alleging that PM Modi conducted rallies during Covid. Earlier on Monday (February 7), while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister had said that Congress gave free train tickets to migrant workers to leave Mumbai which lead to the spread of Covid in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand."

Congress crossed all limits during the first wave of Covid. During the first wave, when the country was in lockdown and when the WHO was advising everyone to stay wherever they are, Congress went to the Mumbai railway station to scare innocent people. They pushed labourers to go back to their states. As a result, Covid spread rapidly in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand," said PM Modi, calling it "paap" (sin).

"You pushed labourers into crisis. In Delhi, the government went around slums in jeeps and announced on mics that whoever wants to go home, buses have been arranged. Infections then shot up in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where the coronavirus had not even spread that much. What kind of politics is this? How long will these politics continue? The entire country is shocked by the behaviour of the Congress," he added.

"Now the Congress has made up its mind not to come to power for the next 100 years." In a veiled attack on Congress, the Prime Minister said the party was banking on its "divide and rule" policy and had become the leader of "tukde tukde gang"."Congress policy is 'divide and rule'. Congress has become the leader of the 'tukde tukde' gang. Congress won several elections due to their 'Garibi Hatao' slogan but failed to do that. Then the poor of this country voted them out. The opposition has raised the issue of inflation here, it would have been better if they have raised that matter while their government was in power. In the pandemic also our government tried to tackle inflation."