A day after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that no state can take manpower from Uttar Pradesh without his government's permission, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that this is "absolutely absurd" and added that these people are not his personal property.
"I think it's unfortunate. I think people are first Indian and then they belong to their states, and the decision on whether somebody goes to work from Uttar Pradesh to the rest of the country is not the Chief Ministers. It is the people of India and people of Uttar Pradesh. If a citizen of Uttar Pradesh wants to go and fulfill his dreams in Maharashtra or in Delhi or in Karnataka or anywhere else he should have the right to do so," Rahul said on Tuesday.
"It is very unfortunate that the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh views India in such a way. These people are not his personal property. They are not the personal property of Uttar Pradesh. These people are Indian citizens and they have the right to decide what they want to do and they have the right to live the life they want to live. It is our job to support them to fulfill their dreams. It is not our job to say that you belong to me, you cannot go and work in Maharashtra. It's absolutely absurd position," he added.
Adityanath had on Monday said that the state government will provide social security and insurance to labourers and no state can take manpower from Uttar Pradesh without his government's permission.
"If any state wants manpower, they cannot take our people from the state without our permission as there were reports of misbehaviour with them in other states. We are taking full responsibility for labourers' social security. We will provide every kind of security to them including insurance. Wherever they will go, we will always stand by them," Yogi said.
The Chief Minister said that skill mapping is being done in Uttar Pradesh and a commission will be set up for labourers to ensure employment for them.
On Sunday, Adityanath had ordered the formation of a 'Migration Commission' for the purpose of providing the workers, who have returned to the state during the lockdown phase, with employment suited to their skills.
( With inputs from ANI )