Stalin reaches out to migrant workers; Bihar team lauds TN govt efforts

Amid growing fears among north Indian migrant workers in Tamil Nadu after alleged fake videos showing attacks on some of them started being circulated, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday (March 7) interacted with a group of labourers at a latex unit in Tirunelveli.

The videos, which Stalin has dismissed as fake, had even prompted the Bihar government to depute an official delegation to take stock of the situation. The Stalin government has been trying since then to mitigate the apprehensions among workers.

The CM visited Kanam Latex, involved in making hand gloves, and interacted with the migrant workers, inquiring about their well-being, an official release said. He asked them how long they have been in Tamil Nadu, whether local people treat them well, and whether they face any issues.

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No complaint from workers

The workers told him the work atmosphere was good, some of them were in the state for more than five years, many with their families, and that the local people treat them like brothers, the release added. The workers reportedly told him they did not have any fears and that they felt safe like staying in their native places, while acknowledging the help extended by the state government.

“The CM asked them not to fall for rumours and that the state government was providing workers from all states a safe work environment,” the release said.

Tamil Nadu has a sizeable number of migrant worker population, with many from states like Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, among others, being employed in various sectors, including construction.

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Prompt action by TN govt

At the same time, the four-member Bihar government delegation met officials and workers in Chennai and expressed satisfaction with the state government’s actions after the alleged fake videos emerged. The team had earlier travelled to Tirupur and Coimbatore, both of which employ a large number of migrant labourers.

D Balamurugan, Bihar Rural Development Secretary, told reporters that the Tamil Nadu government acted right after the videos started circulating. “There were some apprehensions after the videos emerged, but now things have been clarified,” he added.

In Patna, senior DMK leader and MP TR Baalu called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and handed over a report sent by Stalin on the steps taken by the government to protect migrant workers from states like Bihar.

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DMK’s deputy general secretary A Raja hit out at Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and said the latter could “do his politics” of being “BJPs B-Team” in Bihar and not in Tamil Nadu. DMK chief Stalin’s Dravidian model of social justice-led inclusive growth would help set up a regime of secular and progressive forces at the Centre following the Lok Sabha polls next year, Raja said in a statement.

Paswan was in Chennai on March 6 and had called on Governor RN Ravi and submitted a memorandum on the issue while demanding a thorough probe into the allegations of attack on Bihari workers.

(With agency inputs)