The Gujarat government's efforts seem to pay, for the number of Hindi-speaking migrants leaving the state showed a decline
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress of dividing the society for the benefit of one family while the BJP believes in spreading happiness and uniting people, the Gujarat government intensified its efforts, deploying district collectors and other senior officials, to stop the exodus.
The Gujarat government's efforts seem to pay, for the number of Hindi-speaking migrants leaving the state showed a decline. The state has also deployed industry bodies have also been roped in to convince the workers from leaving.
Estimates suggest that about 70,000 migrants, mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, have fled from Gujarat in the wake of violence against them due to the rape of a 14-month-old child in Sabarkantha by a migrant labourer.
However, officials said the rush of migrants returning home is falling with senior officials and police reassuring them about their safety. The queues at Ahmedabad railway station and bus stands were smaller than in the past few days.
On Wednesday evening, revenue secretary Pankaj Kumar visited Sabarmati railway station in Ahmedabad and interacted with migrants. He later wrote that the people were leaving for social, festival, or personal reasons.
On Tuesday night, Ahmedabad Collector Vikrant Pandey visited the Ahmedabad railway station and spoke with several migrants and assured their safety. Collectors in Vadodara, Surendranagar and other districts also visited railway stations and interacted with the migrant workers.
Vadodara collector Shalini Agarwal said the migrants were assured about their safety and would be back after Diwali.
Similarly, sub-divisional magistrates, mamlatdars, and other government officials have been holding meetings with migrant communities as a part of confidence-building measures. Police too have been having meetings with the migrants assuring their safety. Police also conducted flag marches in areas that witnessed violence.
In migrant pockets of Vatva, Narol, and Naroda, Ahmedabad, police distributed pamphlets assuring people of safety, and asking them to reach out to police stations in case of any complaints.
Meanwhile, Shyam Singh Thakur, president of Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad, told reporters that the situation is improving.
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