Congress sharpens pitch on NRI Bill
Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Monday launched a scathing attack on the ruling TRS government alleging that it was not doing anything to support the native Telangana migrant workers stuck in Gulf countries.
Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Monday launched a scathing attack on the ruling TRS government alleging that it was not doing anything to support the native Telangana migrant workers stuck in Gulf countries.
- Says thousands of migrant workers from TS suffering in Gulf nations
- Alleges 400 people from TS died in the Gulf so far
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Shabbir Ali demanded the State government to bring the much-delayed NRI Policy Bill in the ensuing Assembly session and have a discussion on this crucial issue. He said that thousands of workers belonging to various districts of Telangana were either stuck or suffering in different Gulf countries and State government was not serious to resolve their woes.
“State government had promised to give Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia to the families of those migrant workers who died working in Gulf countries, a job for their kin and other benefits. However, two and half years on, the much publicised policy is still not grounded”, he said.
He sought to know as to when the State government would bring the NRI policy it has been promising. He alleged that Minister for NRI Affairs KTR was visiting Gulf countries only to interact with Sheikhs and investors but not paying heed to the woes of thousands of Telangana workers there.
Nearly 400 people belonging to the State have so far died in various Gulf countries ever since the TRS took to power in the State but it has not prompted government to come up with any immediate solution to NRIs, he added.
Claiming that the erstwhile Congress government during the year 2005 and 2008 had successfully brought back nearly 35,000 people stuck in different jails of Gulf countries, Shabbir Ali said that he personally visited Jumera prison in Dubai.
He said that Congress government had arranged for the training of the Gulf victims in NAAC across the State besides helping several people stuck in various jails. He alleged that the current government handed over this task to a organisation Jagruthi which was headed by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha.
“On one hand it has not allocated any fund for the redressing the issues of NRIs and on the other hand releasing funds for Jagruthi in the name of NRIs”, he alleged. He said that neither TRS government was giving employment to the rural people here nor it was helping the migrant workers who want to return or those who landed in jails of Gulf countries.
He said that recently a person from Machareddy village and mandal of Kamareddy district, died in Dubai who went to arrange some money for his sister’s marriage. ‘The person is from my constituency but his body could not be brought to India and State government was doing nothing in this regard’, he alleged.
Replying to a query on 12 per cent reservations, Shabbir Ali said that KCR had promised to give 12 % reservations to Muslims which was not practical. However, since he promised it, he has to materialise it.
