Clarion India
CHENNAI — Actor-politician, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan on Tuesday took a swipe at the central government over the problems faced by migrant workers in the country as seen in the demonstration in Mumbai, saying the crisis was a “time bomb” and that the “balcony government” should keep an eye on the ground.
Haasan, flagging the need to address the problems of such migrant workers, had earlier sarcastically remarked that the centre should not remain a “balcony government”, alluding to the relatively better off citizens who buy premium seats at movie theatres.
“All the balcony people take a long and hard look at the ground. First it was Delhi, now Mumbai,” Kamal Haasan said, in an apparent reference to the migration of labourers in Delhi in large numbers earlier during the lockdown.
“The migrant crisis is a time bomb that must be defused before it becomes a crisis bigger than Corona. Balcony government must keep their eyes on what”s happening on the ground too,” he said on his Twitter handle.
All the balcony people take a long and hard look at the ground. First it was Delhi, now Mumbai.
The migrant crisis is a time bomb that must be defused before it becomes a crisis bigger than Corona. Balcony government must keep their eyes on what’s happening on the ground too.— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 14, 2020
Around 3,000-plus stranded migrants from different parts of India crowded near the Bandra railway station on Tuesday, creating a law and order situation amid lockdown and the police had to resort to mild force to disperse the crowd.
The migrant workers demanded that they be provided with transportation facilities to return to their native places immediately.
Meanwhile, hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Varachha area of Surat city in Gujarat and sat on a road demanding that they should be allowed to go to their native places, police said.
Migrant workers also staged violent protests in Surat on Friday, demanding that they be sent to native places despite lockdown, according to PTI.
