Never called ‘Shramik’ trains ‘Corona Express’: Mamata Banerjee rejects Amit Shah’s charge

PTI, Jun 10, 2020, 8:17 PM IST

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday denied having called ‘Shramik Special’ trains, ferrying migrant labourers back home, “Corona Express” as alleged by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, insisting it was the people who gave that name to crammed-to- capacity trains.

Her comments came a day after Shah, addressing a virtual rally for West Bengal, accused Banerjee of “insulting” migrant workers returning to the state on Shramik Special trains by calling the trains ‘Corona Express’, and asserted that migrant workers will ensure the “exit” of her government in the 2021 assembly polls.

“More than 11 lakh migrants have returned to Bengal. I never called the migrant special trains ‘Corona Express’. It was the common people who gave them that name,” she told reporters.