Known for his command over English language, Kerala Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday posted a video in which he can be heard speaking in fluent Bengali while addressing migrant workers from West Bengal.
After nationwide lockdown, hundreds of thousands of migrant laborers started long journeys on foot to get home. The mass exodus raised grave questions regarding the government's lack of preparedness for accomodating marginalised sections. On Wednesday, Tharoor took to Twitter to talk to migrant workers from Bengal living in Kerala and appealed not to leave the state.
The Congress leader appealed to the migrant workers from West Bengal and the Hindi belt states not to attempt to leave Kerala as the borders of all the states are closed due to the lockdown. He also urged the migrant workers in Kerala to stay back. Tharoor also said that people of Kerala and the state government will provide them with food and shelter.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that 24 new positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state, taking the total tally to 265. Of the total number of cases, 191 have travel history of abroad, 67 people contracted from positive cases and seven are foreign nationals, the Chief Minister informed.
The total number of coronavirus positive cases in India reached 1,834 on Wednesday, including foreign nationals, with 1,649 active cases, the Union Health Ministry said.
The Health Ministry, in its the evening update that 41 deaths have been reported in India so far, with highest nine from Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat, where six deaths were reported.
