‘An ugly joke’: CM Yogi Adityanath on Congress’ bus offer to ferry migrants

Nothing but a “bhadda mazak (an ugly joke)” is how chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday described the Congress’ bus offer to ferry hundreds of migrant workers to Uttar Pradesh.

The chief minister, who was in conversation with Hindustan editor-in-chief Shashi Shekhar, said the Congress’ buses lacked necessary approvals and some of them were not even buses.

It must be noted that the state government did agree to the Congress’ proposal, but then imposed certain restrictions which they alleged the grand old party failed in fulfilling.

Watch: ‘Congress offer of buses for migrants was an ugly joke’: Yogi Adityanath 

Adityanath accused the Congress of “playing with lives” and reeled of numbers, suggesting that the vehicle details submitted by the Congress showed that they were not actual buses. Upon inspection , the CM said, many turned out to be autorickshaws and other three-wheelers. The CM underscored that it was not the time for politics.

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The police had arrested UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu for staging a protest against the state government not allowing buses arranged by the Congress party to enter Uttar Pradesh to transport migrant workers.

Defending the arrest, the CM said it was necessary as the Congress leader was obstructing officials from carrying out their duties during a pandemic, he also violated the lockdown rules.

Also read| ‘An ugly joke’: CM Yogi Adityanath on Congress’ bus offer to ferry migrants

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed those trying to help stranded labourers are being jailed and asked party workers to carry on with the fight.

“Have you seen the method of Yogi (Adityanath) government to fight the coronavirus epidemic? When the Congress arranged buses for migrant labourers, the Yogi government sent Uttar Pradesh Congress president to jail in a false case,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a message.