Have interstate relationships strained due to the mismanaged national lockdown?

 
 
The pandemic and the lockdown implemented owing to it have brought into sharp focus the 
strained relationships among states. The Centre-State relationship has also come under 
severe stress, owing to the national lockdown that was announced without consultation 
and at extremely short notice.  
 
Of sealed borders 
 
As states sealed borders, so did the tensions mount. The suddenness of the announcement 
meant that millions of migrants were stranded in cities where they were employed without 
places to stay or jobs to ensure their livelihood. The only option for the migrants was to 
head back to their home states. The mismanaged national lockdown meant this return to 
their home states would be a herculean task. It would have needed the cooperation of the 
states involved but that was not to be, as every state was focused on securing its borders 
and not allowing movement of migrants.  
 
As reports started pouring in about migrant workers assembling at Delhi’s interstate bus 
station and the railway station in the hope to head back to their homes in UP, there were 
tensions rising between the two states over the management of the issue. The Centre had 
no backup plan and failed to anticipate this crisis, leading to interstate tensions. In fact, in 
mid May, many migrant workers met with accidents, some succumbing to death and others 
sustaining injuries; one incident was reported from Uttar Pradesh and another from the 
state of Madhya Pradesh. There have been several such reports from other states as well.  
 
Elsewhere, in early April, the states of Karnataka and Kerala were embroiled in a tug of war 
over a blockade at the Bangalore-Kasargod highway. Because of a rise in cases in Kerala’s 
Kasaragod region, the Karnataka government blocked the highway leading to tensions 
between the two states. The Karnataka government challenged the Kerala High Court’s 
order to revoke the ban on movement and provide access to hospitals in Mangalore. 
However, the Supreme Court disposed of Karnataka’s petition and asked the states to find 
an amicable way out of the situation.  
 
Tension over trains 
 
Meanwhile, although the Centre announced trains to ensure workers returned home, the 
Indian Railways said a train would be pressed into operation only when the origin and 
destination states made a request jointly. This meant that several states, already at 
loggerheads over past issues, had to suddenly communicate effectively and coordinate 
movement of migrants.  
 
The state of Maharashtra, blamed states like Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh of taking a non 
cooperative stance when it came to taking back migrants. This was when trains were 
announced to take back migrants to their states but the states were refusing to give the 
green signal. The initial resistance to send migrants back to their home states was seen in 
Karnataka for example, when the Chief Minister announced that trains for migrant workers 
would be cancelled. This announcement was revoked only after criticism from multiple 
corners. Media reports suggested that over 50,000 people from Bihar had registered to head 
back to their home state, and that this would lead to an acute labour shortage in Karnataka. 
To add fuel to the fire, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that any state 
government which sought to employ migrant workers would have to seek permission from 
his state. He had to take a U-turn a couple of days later, as officials clarified that the 
commission that was being planned for welfare of migrants didn’t include the permission 
clause.  
 
Shift in responsibility to states 
 
By making grandesque announcements and letting the states open up channels of 
communication and work out the nitty-gritties, the Centre seemed to have shifted 
responsibility. It was only much later that a national information system was put into place 
to ensure movement of migrants without hitches. The Centre’s response has largely been 
reactive and rather slow to the crisis. Shramik trains for migrants were operational only in 
May, a full month and a week after the lockdown. Failure to anticipate problems and act as a 
bridge among states has led to a huge burden on states.  
 
The Centre would have done well to collate data on interstate migration and set up a 
coordinating body to ensure better management and communication early on in the 
lockdown. In fact, allowing the migrants to go home should have been the first step before 
a national lockdown with a four-hour notice was announced. A coordinating agency or 
council that would form a bridge between the Centre and states, and among the states 
would have gone hand-in-hand with decentralisation of decision making.  
 
At a time when the pandemic has a tight grip over the nation, it is imperative that the 
Centre act more responsibly by setting aside political compulsions and helping states to 
work with each other in harmony. 
 
REFERENCES 
 
https://thewire.in/government/karnataka-trains-migrant-workers 
 
https://theprint.in/talk-point/yogi-vs-uddhav-vs-piyush-goyal-will-politics-over-migr
ant-workers-hurt-economic-revival/429638/ 
 
https://scroll.in/article/962223/six-reasons-why-the-modi-government-is-singularly-r
esponsible-for-indias-worst-ever-migrant-crisis 
 
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/states-need-permission-to-employ-people-from-up
-says-yogi-adityanath-2234756