'Don't politicise migrants issue': Furious Finance Minister Sitharaman blasts Rahul Gandhi, Congress

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday lashed out at Congress party over the issue of migrant workers in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, urging the opposition to work in tandem to help the stranded labourers.

The finance minister was visibly furious when asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's comments that if the Centre is not able to send the migrant workers back to their home states, it should allow the Congress to arrange for buses to transport them.

Sitharaman tore into the party saying that Congress should not politicise the migrants' issue and deal with the issue more responsibly.

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"I am urging Congress President Sonia Gandhi with folded hands to request that we should all work together to help migrant labourers in this crisis," the finance minister also said.

FM Sitharaman added that the central government has joined forces with the state governments to run special trains for the repatriation of the migrant workers. "We ensured that lakhs of migrant workers reach their native places, get food, essentials. Yet many are on the roads, walking back home, it is painful," she said.

The finance minister further questioned the Congress party saying that "why don't they tell their state governments to run more trains to ferry more and more migrant workers back to their native states with additional facilities such as food etc."

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