Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin Visits Migrant Workers To Soothe Worries

Reaching out to the migrant workers community in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday interacted with a group of labourers at a latex unit here.

The Chief Minister’s move comes in the wake of apprehensions among the migrant workforce over alleged fake videos of attacks on some of them in the state, which had even prompted the Bihar government to depute an official delegation to take stock of the situation.

Mr Stalin visited Kanam Latex, involved in making hand gloves, in the district and interacted with the migrant workers, enquiring about their well-being, an official release said.

He discussed with them matters like how long they were staying in Tamil Nadu, if the local people treated them well and whether they had to face any issues.

The workers told him they had a good work atmosphere, some were staying for more than five years in TN, many with their families and that the local people were treating them with brotherhood, the release added.

The workers 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, it said.

“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.

In connection with circulation of a video clip, the content being a rumour that migrant workers were attacked in Tamil Nadu, a construction worker –native of Jharkhand– was arrested near Chennai by police.

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.

Meanwhile, the four-member Bihar government delegation met officials and workers in Chennai and expressed satisfaction over the state government’s actions after the alleged fake videos emerged. It 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 here the TN government acted after the videos started circulating.

“There were some apprehensions after the videos emerged but now things have been clarified,” he added. In Chennai, the official Bihar team met Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu as well.

In Patna, senior DMK leader and Lok Sabha member, T R Baalu called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and handed over a letter sent by Stalin on the steps taken by the government to protect migrant workers from States including Bihar.

DMK’s Deputy General Secretary A Raja hit out at Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and said that the LJP leader may do his politics of being “BJP’s 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 Lok Sabha polls next year, Mr Raja said in a statement.

Mr Paswan was in Chennai on March 6 and he had called on Governor R N Ravi and submitted a memorandum on the issue while demanding a thorough probe on allegations of attack on Bihar workers.