In what is being seen as an astute political move by Congress, offering to pay fare of the migrants travelling across the country back to their native states, part of the credit should go to its Karnataka unit which made this initial offer to the state government locally on Saturday. And subsequently to DK Shivkumar, the party’s state chief.

Ever since Shivakumar, the party’s key trouble-shooter took over as the President of the Karnataka unit in March this year, Congress has been on an overdrive to put the BJP-led state government on the mat.

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Shivakumar has strongly criticised the handling of the situation India is faced with due to the pandemic. The senior Congress leader has also accused the state government of lacking compassion when dealing with the poor. Edited excerpts :

Q: Karnataka unit of Congress was the first to make an offer to pay the government on behalf of the migrants so that they could travel back to their states. Now, this has been echoed by party’s national leadership, spotlighting the BJP-led government. Where did this idea originate?

DKS: Yes, it was the Congress in Karnataka which came forward to help the poor. Already, these poor migrants who had come here in search of livelihoods, are without any salary for more than a month. Only a heartless government will insist that they pay for their journey back home when they are struggling to feed themselves and their families.

When we saw the situation on ground and conveyed it to our leadership, both Sonia ji and Rahul ji fully backed and blessed this idea. It has their full backing. We collected funds from party workers, legislators and from basically anyone who was willing to contribute to help these poor migrants. To help these migrants, we issued a cheque of Rupees one crore to the MD of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.

: Karnataka revenue minister R Ashoka has dubbed the cheque as fake, as it is signed by former KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao and not by you. Additionally, deputy CM Lakshman Savadi has claimed this entire move is just a ‘drama’.

DKS: It is politically immature of Ashoka to call the cheque fake. The cheque has been issued on behalf of KPCC and signed by my predecessor as I haven’t had the time to take on that responsibility as banks have been shut due to the current crisis.

As far as Savadi’s statement, they can call it anything. Those who are suffering know the truth. As a responsible Opposition, we are trying to do everything possible to help the poor and needy. We are highlighting issues which needs to be brought to the attention of people.

Q: Even BJP national secretary B L Santhosh has tweeted that ‘Let alone charging, railways don’t have ticket counters…Trains are run on state requests. After the request Kerala, Rajasthan, Maharastra make #migrantlabourers pay & INCIndia chief issues statement and usual suspects pump it up’. Your comments on this?

DKS: I have huge respect for Santhosh ji who is a national leader from my state. However, he doesn’t seem to have full facts. Let him please go and check whether money was collected from migrants who were ferried by more than 100 buses of KSRTC. If money was not collected, why did KSRTC deposit it with the government saying passenger fare from more than 3500 people. One should comment only after knowing full facts. I even met the MD of KSRTC and gave him the Congress party cheque. Now he says, please donate it to the CM fund.

Q: Karnataka government has been claiming that compared to most large states it has done well with minimum number of deaths and positive cases as well as on relief and rehabilitation measures?

DKS: Please go and tell that to the farmers who are destroying crops because they have no buyers and the government is doing nothing to help them. Because of the fight between Sriramulu (health and family welfare minister) and Sudhakar (medical education minister), Suresh Kumar (primary and secondary education minister) is addressing daily briefings on the coronavirus pandemic. This is the level of co-ordination they have in the face of a crisis.

One deputy CM announces IT-BT will work with 50 per cent workforce and then the CM contradicts him, saying it will work with only 33 per cent work force. There is absolutely no co-ordination within the government. There performance on all fronts have been poor. This government does not seem to be able to see the poor and deprived and it does not hear their cries. This government doesn’t have eyes, ears and above all no heart.