Arvind Kejriwal Appeals To Migrants: 'Don't Leave Delhi, Coronavirus Can Reach Your Villages Through You'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday tried to reach out to the migrants leaving the city due to coronavirus lockdown and issued an appeal asking them to stay wherever they are. In a post on Twitter, Kejriwal said, "Some people are desperate to reach home. Our Prime Minister has also appealed to everyone to stay wherever they are. I also want to request all of you to not travel back to your villages. Because in such a huge crowd, chances of COVID-19 infection are very high. Coronavirus can reach your homes, your villages through you. It will reach to various parts of the country. Then it will be very difficult to contain this pandemic. I want to assure you that the Delhi government has made all arrangements for your food and shelter. This is in the national interest that you all must not travel to your villages."

दिलà¥Âली से अपने गाà¤Âव जा रहे लोगों से मेरी अपील। pic.twitter.com/VTOGZVZFkh

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 29, 2020

The appeal comes even as thousand of migrant workers continue to defy the lockdown to travel back home on foot. On Saturday, Delhi's Anand Vihar bus station witnessed an unprecedented scene when a sea of humanity turned up after the lockdown-triggered mass migration intensified from the capital. Amid nationwide lockdown, thousands walked to the bus terminus and stood in a queue as long as 3 kilometers. Most of the migrant workers were adamant to leave the national capital as there is currently no job for them and no arrangement for food supplies.

Former Congress chief and current Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi blasted the Narendra Modi government for the deplorable situation of the urban poor hit by job loss and hunger. Gandhi took to Twitter to slam the government for the mismanagement. “The government is responsible for this horrible situation. Putting citizens in such a condition is a big crime. In today’s troubled times, our brothers and sisters should get the dignity they deserve. The government must take some concrete steps to avoid this tragedy.”