I may be accused of being anti poor. Fact is migrant labour hs behaved https://t.co/ADu1JgcjnP asked all to stay pu… https://t.co/vQ2RzVpNnL — Balbir Punj (@balbirpunj) 1585325225000

Why migrants leaving Delhi ? For want of money or food ? NO. Just irresponsible. There is no money/ jobs waiting fo… https://t.co/GLZ5bcX8Om — Balbir Punj (@balbirpunj) 1585325724000

What’s the mindset that’s motivating thousands to flee Delhi at great risk to themselves & others? Same which tells… https://t.co/4ptgaDiLJ9 — Balbir Punj (@balbirpunj) 1585326300000

Why r they going? 1. Are jobs waiting for them back home? 2. Will they be safe from Corona there? 3. Why many don… https://t.co/mHGBrxHXBO — Balbir Punj (@balbirpunj) 1585328162000

coronavirus

NEW DELHI: Former BJP MP Balbir Punj on Friday stirred a controversy after he called the stranded migrant workers , who are making journeys back to their villages on foot "irresponsible".Tens of thousands of migrant workers stranded on highways and inter-state bus terminals have been walking on foot to reach their homes across different parts of the country amid the coronavirus lockdown Punj, in a series of tweets, questioned the "mindset" of the workers which might be motivating thousands to flee Delhi at great risk to themselves & others.Blaming the migrant workers for being "short sighted" and ignoring the seriousness of the situation, Punj alleged, "Why migrants leaving Delhi? For want of money or food? NO. Just irresponsible. There is no money/ obs waiting for them back home. It's to utilise their forced 'chutti' to catch up with their families or errands back home. Gravity of situation hasn't dawned on them."The former BJP leader even compared the behaviour with "driving without helmets and seat belts" and on the wrong side of the road. "Philosophy: Take shortcuts, ignore risks. Plain irresponsible behaviour," he wrote on Twitter Many people on Twitter criticised Punj's comments. Responding to one such user, he again wrote: Why r they going? 1. Are jobs waiting for them back home?2. Will they be safe from Corona there? 3. Why many don’t use helmets, seat belts, drive drunk or on wrong side? It is same irresponsible mindset that’s motivating many to leave Delhi, risking their own, & others lives."The government has imposed a nationwide shutdown for 21 days in the wake of the highly contagious coronavirus outbreak that has already infected more than 900 people in India.The government has urged people to stay indoors and aggressively practice social distancing. The imposition of a nationwidelockdown has left migrant workers with no means to earn a living, forcing them to undertake long journeys on foot to their far-flung homes in the absence of any means of transport.However, the scene of desperate migrant workers fleeing the national capital portrayed quite a contrary picture that seemed to have infuriated Punj.