Politicos ask Governor to help bring Maharashtra residents home

The MNS delegation with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari

A delegation of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by party chief Raj Thackeray's son, Amit, met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Monday, over the issue of bringing home people from the state stranded in other countries amid the pandemic.

During the meeting, the MNS delegation claimed that they have been following up with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to get back the people from Maharashtra. But, as there was no response from the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, they wanted the Governor to instruct the state to take immediate measures to get back its citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission.

MNS leader Shalini Thackeray accused the MVA government of not taking interest and efforts to bring back the people. Speaking to mid-day, she said, "Many people from Maharashtra who are stranded abroad are connecting with us, asking us to help them come back home. Accordingly, I had written a letter to the state government. But I believe the state is not taking keen interest and pursuing the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) to get more flights under the union government's mission to get its
citizens back."

In fact, the MNS leader claimed that a Qatar-based company has sent people from all over India back home on 15 chartered flights. "Only people from Maharashtra are stranded there merely because the state government is not giving the NOC. Like those stranded abroad and their families, we want to know what is stopping the government from bringing back these people," said Shalini Thackeray.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news