Ahmed Patel alleges 'UP govt opposing Congress over buses as it wants to help migrants'

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel has claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government has been opposing Priyanka Gandhi just because she wants to help migrant labourers. The Congress General Secretary had offered 1000 buses to ferry migrant labourers back home. However, after a 'preliminary inquiry,' UP Cabinet Minister Sidharth Nath Singh had stated that the details of buses provided by Congress include plenty of two-wheelers and autos. 

Taking to Twitter, Congress MP Patel remarked that the UP administration and some media channels are opposing Congress leaders because they want to help 'troubled and helpless' migrant labourers.

 READ | Robert Vadra Enters '1000 Bus' Row Between UP Govt & Priyanka, Says 'let's Work Together'

Congress-UP government tussle over 1000 buses

On May 16, Priyanka Vadra wrote to UP CM Yogi Adityanath, urging him to permit the Congress party to run 1,000 buses to ferry migrant workers back to their native place. The UP administration accepted this request on Monday, asking the opposition party to send the buses to Lucknow by 10 am on Tuesday. However, Vadra's private secretary Sandeep Singh stated that sending empty buses to Lucknow was "inhuman" at a time when thousands of workers had gathered at the borders of UP. 

READ | Congress Scrambles For '1000 Buses' To Save Priyanka Vadra's Blushes As Yogi Accepts Offer

Thereafter, UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avanish Awasthi asked the Congress party to send 500 buses each to Kaushambi, Sahibabad bus stands in Ghaziabad and the ground near the Expo Mart in Gautam Buddh Nagar where they will be handed over to the respective District Magistrates. Singh again wrote back, remarking that it would be possible for Congress to send the buses only by 5 pm on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, UP Minister Sidharth Nath Singh revealed that many two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, and good carriers were in the list of buses submitted by the Congress party. He called upon Congress president Sonia Gandhi to explain why they were committing this "fraud". 

READ | Priyanka Vadra's '1000 Buses' For Migrants In UP Includes Autos & Bikes; BJP Claims 'sham'

READ | Priyanka Vadra's '1000 Buses' For Migrants In UP Includes Autos & Bikes; BJP Claims 'sham'