Scaremongers are anti-national: Stalin on migrants attack rumours

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday guaranteed the safety of migrant workers to his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and said that scaremongers spreading rumours about alleged attack on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu were opposed to national integrity.

Condemning people engaging in cheap politics using non-existent issues, Stalin, in an elaborate statement issued mid Saturday, cautioned that stringent legal action would be initiated against people causing fear and panic by deliberately spreading rumours using videos and photographs of incidents that took place in other states as developments in Tamil Nadu.

“People spreading rumours about attacks on other state workers in Tamil Nadu are against India. They spoil the integrity of the nation,” Stalin said, condemning the exploitation of non-existent issues for cheap politics.

CM assures workers safety to Nitish over phone

Advising north Indian workers not to fear and report through the police helpline if they overcome threats, chief minister Stalin said that he contacted “my friend” and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over phone and discussed the issue with him. “I assured him that all workers are our workers and they have contributed to the growth of the state and no hurt would be caused to them,” Stalin said, guaranteeing labourer ‘brothers’ from other states that the government and the people of Tamil Nadu would be a shield protecting all state workers and they need not be scared by fake news.

Remarking that “Mother Tamil Nadu” would always be a cradle of mercy succouring mankind forever, the Chief Minister said that people from other states have been visiting Tamil Nadu for commerce, business, medical purposes and education for ages. They have lifted themselves and the state. Of late, there is a spurt in migrant labourers from other states visiting TN in search of jobs owing to the state being able to offer jobs in various sectors, mainly service, construction and MSMEs.

Clarifying that the starting point of the entire issue was a Bihar journalist spreading an individual conflict between two people in some other state as an attack on Bihari workers in Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister also urged the media and journalists to act with social responsibility and abide by journalistic ethics and not telecast/publish news without confirmation.

Listing out the various benefits extended by his government to migrant labourers, Stalin said that unable to tolerate the peaceful situation in the state, some narrow minded people are attempting to insult the culture of Tamil Nadu people and bring disrepute to the government. “Their intention will not be realised. Other state workers living in Tamil Nadu are aware of the normal situation prevailing here. Hence, migrants continue to arrive in Tamil Nadu even now. Tamil Nadu welcomes them as usual,” he said, in his elaborate reassurance to the migrant workers.