Short story of what happened in Valsad, Gujarat yesterday. Around 2500 migrant labourers has registered with the local authorities to notify their intentions to go home. On behalf of @INCIndia @INCGujarat, @gauravp_valsad offered to pay their fares. (1/n)

This was notified to @collectorvalsad @CKharsan over phone, text, and this medium. He assured us that we would be given adequate time to make all arrangements and the trains wouldn’t depart till 10 May at the earliest. (2/n)

Yesterday, he refused to take the money directly from the Congress and at around 11 PM we started getting distress calls from migrant labourers that they were being charged Rs 690 and 750 (based on the final destination) and the train would leave at 6 AM today. (3/n)

We called @collectorvalsad over 10 times, all our calls went unanswered. What ensued was a collective effort to stuff envelopes and distribute it among the labourers till the wee hours of the morning (4/n)

This entire episode was an elaborately planned collusion between the ruling BJP and the supposedly “neutral” civil service to blindside the Congress. And for what? The possibility that Congress might get some political goodwill out of this? (5/n)

Kind sirs, shame on you. This may be about politics for you but as we so starkly saw yesterday, it is a matter of life and death for the labourers. You don’t want to help yourselves, and you rope in supine bureaucrats to thwart our efforts to offer humanitarian assistance? (6/n)

The whole country needs to see how biased and spineless Gujarat administration. You swore an oath @CKharsan, do not forget that. @SaralPatel @FalakThakkarr @maulinshah9 @faysalab

Update: A second train had to be cancelled because the administrators could not collect money in time. @CKharsan I am again beseeching you on a public platform- @INCGujarat is ready to help, please let us. Do not let these labourers become the victims of political vendetta

Another clear example of collusion- @GujaratPolice allowed BJP MLAs to enter the railway station, those very MLAs who had been MiA so far but turned up for the cameras, whilst denying entry to Congress MLA @JitubhaiChaudh1. Watch for yourself.