LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Wednesday appealed to the Centre and state governments to make arrangements for free food and accommodation for migrant labourers and workers who are planning to return home amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Speaking to ANI, Mayawati said, "I appeal to state governments to make arrangements for free food and accommodation for migrant labourers and workers who are planning to return home amid a spike of COVID-19. I have also urged the Centre to provide every kind of support to the states."
She lauded the Centre's move to organise the four-day-long 'Tika Utsav', a special vaccination drive launched on April 11, to ramp up inoculations against the coronavirus disease. However, she suggested that it would have been better if the Centre had vaccinated the poor for free.
"The special campaign to celebrate the introduction of vaccines is a good thing. But it would have been more appropriate if this festival was celebrated by administering vaccine doses to the poor and needy free of cost," she said.
Mayawati also paid tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on the occasion of his 130th birth anniversary. She said that the party cadre is holding low key celebrations for Babasaheb's anniversary due to the COVID pandemic.