Migrants to be major poll issue in Bihar

PATNA: Migrant workers are to emerge as major issue in state assembly elections, which are likely to be held on scheduled time in October-November this year.
Chief electoral officer (CEO) H R Srinivasa said all migrants eligible to vote will be included in the voter list during its update. The CEO, on June 2, asked all DMs, SSPs and SPs to initiate special summary revision of the voter list for the upcoming assembly elections. “The process of updating the voter list is underway. Efforts will be made to add the people who have returned to the state but don’t have their names in the voter list,” Srinivasa told TOI on Saturday.
As per official figures, more than 20 lakh people, mostly migrant workers, have returned from other states by special trains since May 2. Besides, more than five lakh more are estimated to have returned by road. As per state disaster management department, more than 29 lakh people had registered to avail the benefit of Mukhyamantri Vishesh Sahayata Yojana.
JD(U) chief and CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday slammed other states for mistreating the people from Bihar working there and also raised objection over the use of term ‘pravasi’ (migrant) for them.
The state government has made several claims related to the migrants’ welfare, including providing livelihood opportunities in ambitious schemes, such as MGNREGS or state government’s seven resolves programmes. As per a disaster management department statement issued on Friday, Rs1000 per ration card holder is being paid as ‘corona sahayata’ to people of Bihar stranded outside the state. A total amount of Rs1454.20 crore has been paid to 1,45,42,000 ration card holders till Friday, the statement read.
Meanwhile, stepping up the ante against state government on the migrants’ issue, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav personally put up a poster at the party headquarters here on Saturday. The poster has a controversial letter issued and later recalled by the police headquarters, asking SPs and DMs to remain watchful as there could be rise in crime in the wake of large influx of migrants.
Tejashwi asked CM Nitish to reply as to why migrants were considered as criminals and gangsters and why the government was not giving them employment. On Friday as well, Tejashwi lashed out at Bihar government for not making any road map to help the migrants.
Senior Congress functionaries have also claimed that migrants will be a main poll plank in Bihar. “The state government as well as the Centre have miserably failed in tackling the migrants’ issue. First, they faced hardships in returning to Bihar and then suffered due to poor arrangements at the quarantine centres. The anger is palpable among the majority of migrants and it will be reflected in the election,” Congress’s Bihar president Madan Mohan Jha told TOI.