BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday accused the Congress and the BJP of being equally responsible for the current plight of migrants stranded amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
"After Independence, Congress stayed in power for long and ruled in many states. Mass migration from villages to big cities occurred under their reign as weaker sections of society including Dalits, farmers and tribals found it hard to procure means of livelihood," Mayawati said.
She added, "It would have been better if before announcing the COVID-19 lockdown, migrant workers would have been given some time and facilitated to their native places."
The Congress responded to the comments calling the BSP Chief a ‘Twitter behanji’ and accusing Mayawati of being an "undeclared spokesperson of the BJP".
"The language and the tweets, which the 'Twitter behanji' is using clearly indicates that she makes the press note for the BJP and sends it," Congress leader PL Punia told reporters.
"She feels angry over the proactive efforts of the Congress and its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (in mitigating the poor's plight amid the lockdown)," he added.
BJP leader Sambit Patra was however having none of it.
Citing a news article that quoted Punia, the National Spokesperson of BJP observed that Priyanka Gandhi had not even attained the stature of a "Twitter behenji".
"Oh ho. They're talking as though Priyanka Vadra is a big "ground sister". Till now she has not even been able to properly become a "Twitter behenji". Putting one's feet on the ground makes it dirty. And they're measuring other's land," he wrote in a tweet.
(With inputs from agencies)
