The Opposition parties condemned the lathicharge on the migrant workers from West Bengal who were staging a protest seeking arrangements for their transportation to reach their native places, in Vijayawada on Sunday.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Left parties in separate statements condemned the caning of the migrant workers.
Terming the lathicharge as an “abominable act”, TDP national president N. Chadrababu Naidu said at a time when the migrant workers were facing hardships due to the lockdown and lack of jobs, the government, instead of helping them, was attacking them.
“The YSRCP government has no concern for the people walking down to their native places. As per the directions by Central government and Supreme Court, the State government should provide food and transportation facilities to the migrant workers,” he said.
The CPI(M) State secretary P. Madhu, his CPI counterpart K. Ramakrishna, Y. Venkateswara Rao of CPI(ML), Y. Sambasiva Rao of CPI(ML) New Democracy, Jasti Kishore Babu of CPI(ML),K. Nagabhushana Rao of MCPI(U), B. Bangarao of CPI(ML) Liberation), B.S.R. Amarnath of SUCI(C), P.V. Sundararama Raju (Forward Bloc), Janaki Ramulu (Revolutionary Socialist Party) also condemned the lathicharge.
‘Promise not kept’
In a statement, they also condemned the arrest of the Left party leaders who extended their support to the agitating migrant workers. “The government has reneged on its promise that the migrant workers would be sent back to their native places. The police injured many workers by entering into their rooms. The YSRCP activists also attacked the workers in the presence of the police,” they said.
They demanded that the arrested Left party leaders be released immediately.