Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Urges Migrants To Stay Back, Says Lockdown Is Not Lock-up

Picture : Twitter / ANI

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in a fervent appeal tried to reassure migrant workers who are stranded in the state that lockdown is not “lock-up”, and appealed them to face the “challenge” of coronavirus by staying back.

“Nobody wants that you stay in lockup without your will. Lockdown doesn’t mean lockup. It is our country. You’re (Migrant labourers) safe in my state&don’t worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you”, said Uddhav.

Thackeray further told ANI, Today what happened in Bandra was unfortunate. It might have happened because they thought that trains will start from 14th April and so they would be able to go back to their villages

He was speaking in a live webcast after hundreds of migrant workers gathered near Bandra railway station in Mumbai, seeking to head back home, even as country-wide lockdown was extended till May 3.

The CM spoke briefly in Hindi as he made a direct appeal to the migrants.

Thackeray also said his government was working on how to lift the lockdown and resume industrial activities.

Rising number of cases in Mumbai and Pune was a cause of concern, he admitted.

Maharashtra has conducted maximum number of coronavirus tests and has asked the Centre to allow experimental plasma treatment, he said.