The coinage “Corona Express” by Mamata Banerjee to trains ferrying migrant workers will turn into an “exit express” for the Trinamool, home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, sharpening the attack on the Bengal chief minister at a virtual rally.
“The name ‘Corona Express’ that you have given, Mamata didi, will become your exit route. You’ve added salt to the wounds of the migrant workers and they will not forget this,” said Shah during an online address to workers at ‘West Bengal Jan Samvad’ rally.
The BJP has been holding these virtual rallies to spread the message of the party and the government and also give a push to political activity.
The home minister was drawing attention to Bengal CM’s criticism of running migrant trains, accusing the railways of packing in most migrants in one train instead of running several of them.
“In the name of Shramik Special trains, the railways is running ‘Corona Express’ trains…The Railways is sending migrants in jam-packed compartments…The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing because of this. The Railways has some social obligation, they cannot just operate on the basis of profit and loss,” she said.
Banerjee had claimed at the time that the state was able to control the spike in the coronavirus cases, but the influx of people through Shramik Specials pushed the numbers up again.
The Shramik Specials were being run by the Centre to help migrants, stuck in various states due to the nationwide lockdown necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, reach home.
