Autorickshaw, car numbers in Congress list of buses for migrant workers: Uttar Pradesh govt
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said the list of 1,000 buses offered by the Congress to ferry migrants contained registration numbers of two-wheelers and cars, a charge denied by the party.
The UP claim reignited the row over the offer made on May 16 by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to provide 1,000 buses at the UP border for migrant workers heading to their homes in the state.
The Congress initially claimed that the state's BJP government was ignoring the offer with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath even refusing to give an appointment to a party delegation seeking a meeting.
Even while accusing the Congress of playing politics over the plight of workers heading home after the coronavirus lockdown, the UP government on Monday formally accepted the offer.
It asked the Congress to submit a list of the buses, and its drivers and conductors. But that was not the end of the row.
In an email received by Priyanka Gandhi's private secretary at 11.40 pm Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government asked the opposition party to send the buses to Lucknow by 10 am on Tuesday, according to the Congress.
The aide wrote back to the UP government saying that sending empty buses to Lucknow was inhuman and the product of an anti-poor mindset when thousands of workers are gathered at UP's borders.
"This demand of your government seems politically motivated. It does not appear that your government wants to help our labourer brothers and sisters who are facing a disaster," the letter in Hindi said.
UP's Additional Chief Secretary (Home & Information) Awanish Awasthi responded to the Congress letter, agreeing to take charge of the buses at the border itself.
"As per your letter dated May 19, you have expressed your inability to provide buses in Lucknow and want to provide them in Ghaziabad and Noida," he wrote.
He asked 500 of the buses to be stationed at Kaushambi and Sahibabad bus stands, where the Ghaziabad district magistrate will take charge of them.
He said the other 500 buses should be parked at the ground near the Expo Mart in Gautam Buddh Nagar, and handed over to the district magistrate there.
Awasthi said directions have been issued to the district magistrates to make use of the buses immediately after checking the permits, fitness, insurance and driving licences of the crew.
Later, the state government said the list of 1,000 buses contained registration number of other vehicles, reigniting the row over buses.
"In the list of buses provided by the Congress, there are motorcycles, three-wheelers, an ambulance and private cars, Mrityunjay Kumar, media advisor to the chief minister, said.
He listed out the registration numbers of an ambulance, a car and four three-wheelers. He said the details were retrieved through mParivahan, an app that allows people instant access to such information.
A UP Congress spokesperson challenged the claim.
"There are 1,000 buses. If the UP Government has any doubts about them, then they can conduct a physical verification of the vehicles at the state's border," he said.
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Make polling hours 6am-7pm for May 7 LS polls, Karnataka BJP urges EC citing heatwave
Bengaluru, May 3: Citing the ongoing heatwave in the state, Karnataka BJP on Friday petitioned the Election Commission with a request to modify the polling hours to the 6am-7pm period in the 14 parliamentary constituencies in the state that goes to polls on May 7.
Polling is currently scheduled to be held in the second phase in the state in 14 segments in the northern districts between 7am to 6pm on May 7.
"It has become hard to come out and vote between hours 10.00 to 17.00 due to uncontrollable heat. The average heat in those parts (north Karnataka) covering 14 parliamentary constituencies are between 37 and 42 degree (Celsius). The mercury is rising at an alarming level and it would become hard for the electors to come out and vote," BJP's petition said.
The petition highlighted the alarming rise in temperatures, which are expected to go beyond 40 degree Celsius, and also stated that the number of voters over the age of 40 is high and that they are vulnerable to the heatwave.
"To keep up the good spirit of voting, necessary action should be taken," the BJP petition urged the Election Commission, saying, "In this background, it is requested to modify the time of voting in the 14 parliamentary constituencies from 06.00 to 19.00 hours on May 7".
Polling was held between 7 am and 6 pm during Karnataka's first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in 14 constituencies on April 26.
