Chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar A four-member team was sent to Tamil Nadu from state capital Patna on Saturday following alleged attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant workers in the state.
Rural Development Secretary Balamurugan D, Inspector General of Police P Kannan, Special Secretary (Labour) Alok Kumar and another police officer are the members of the team.
The opposition BJP created a ruckus in the assembly over the issue, while Tamil Nadu Director General of Police Sylendra Babu tweeted a video saying that strict action would be taken against those sharing the fake video.
“Two videos have been posted and both are false; These two incidents had happened earlier in Tiruppur and Coimbatore. In both cases, the conflict was not between the people of Tamil Nadu and the migrant workers. One was a clash between two groups of migrant workers from Bihar and the other between two local residents of Coimbatore,” he said in the video.
The Bihar DGP has spoken to Babu while other senior police officers are also in touch with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu Police. Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Patna JS Gangwar said, “Videos of some old personal disputes were shot and published saying that it is against the residents of Bihar. He says that no such incident has happened. Tamil Nadu Police is taking action and providing security.
What are the migrants saying
Bhagalpur activist Uttam Kumar, who returned from Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu four days ago, said, “I was told by friends not to take the route as some Tamils attacked them. They were demanding money and trying to snatch the phone.” They didn’t want Hindi speaking laborers. This is happening since last one month.”
Another worker who returned from Bhagalpur, Rajan Kumar said, “Over 200 migrant workers from my village in Tiruppur are working on contract. The Bihar government should find out what is happening and ensure the safety of Biharis outside the state. There is a job crisis since the lockdown and local workers see it as a challenge as we work efficiently. They want to come back only because they want to get jobs in their state.”
Raju Pandey, who somehow reached Danapur, said that the inefficiency of the state government is causing the workers to migrate to other states. “If they are beaten up, the Bihar government should be held accountable as every state has its own population and they want to get jobs in their own state. Tamils also want to get jobs in their state and hence they want Hindi speaking workers to go back.
It is not just Bihari migrant workers who fear attacks in the south. Also sent a video message of laborers working in Tiruppur living in Garhwa district of Jharkhand. In this, a person named Sanjay Sharma is heard saying, ‘Tamils are attacking us in buses, trains and other places. I appeal to the Chief Minister to bring us back to Jharkhand.
Another person in the video said that Hindi-speaking workers were being forced to flee. “We pray to our government over there to ensure our safety,” he is heard saying while showing an injured man, “one killed in a bus and one in a train, another injured. You can see the injuries The hospital is also not admitting. I appeal to the government to do something.”
After taking cognizance of the video, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has also sent a team to bring back the stranded laborers from Tamil Nadu. Soren instructed the laborers to return safely after paying them. Workers from Palamu, Garhwa and other districts stranded in the southern state will also be brought back to Jharkhand.
political reaction
Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha made a statement after walking out of the House on Friday. “The Bihar government should bring back the workers who are victims of vandalism in Tamil Nadu. their dignity is being attacked; The state government should investigate the matter by sending a team, otherwise we will protest inside and outside the assembly.”
Talking to the media in Patna, the Chief Minister said, ‘I came to know about this incident from the media. I have asked the officials to seek the information immediately; Our officials spoke to the Tamil Nadu administration. Yesterday, I asked them to send a team, which will inquire about everything.”
On Friday, replying to BJP MLAs in the assembly, Kumar’s deputy Tejashwi Yadav read out a message from Tamil Nadu DGP Babu, which said no worker from Bihar had been attacked.
“BJP leaders are experts in creating hatred between states. On one hand they raise the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and on the other hand they create hatred among the states as if Tamil Nadu is not a part of India. If any such incident happens, the state government will definitely take action and our Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already instructed the Chief Secretary and DGP of Bihar to talk to Tamil Nadu officials. Then what is the point of creating ruckus in the assembly? Why is the Leader of the Opposition so impatient? If BJP leaders do not trust us, they are welcome to ask the Union Home Minister and Minister of State.”
Tamil Nadu Labor Welfare Minister CV Ganesan in a statement accused the miscreants of spreading rumors on social media with “ulterior motives” and said the workers were aware that there was no truth in such claims. Acknowledging that workers from north India were integral to infrastructure development in his state, he said people from all states were working “peacefully and efficiently without any threat”.
Appropriate action is being taken against those spreading rumors in Tamil Nadu, which is known for social and industrial peace, he said.
The district administrations in Coimbatore and Tiruppur, where a large number of migrant workers are employed, have issued appeals in Hindi urging the workers not to panic. Collectorates and industrial associations have also set up helplines to reach out to the workers.
Former Bihar CM Rabri Devi accused BJP of trying to defame Tejashwi and the state. He said that migrant workers were not being beaten up in Tamil Nadu, and that they had fought among themselves over an issue and the government had no role in it. He further said that by spreading such rumours, the BJP wants to “burn” the country.
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