On Monday (March 14), journalist-tuned filmmaker Vinod Kapri lamented that a total of 7 migrant workers, who were prominently featured in his anti-Modi propaganda documentary, had voted for the BJP government during the 2020 Bihar elections.
Kapri, who shared the stage with alleged ‘journalist’ and YouTuber Barkha Dutt, made the revelations during the last day of the 2022 Edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).
“When we were in Bihar, we witnessed the public anger against the (Modi) government… You will be surprised that 7 migrant workers had voted for BJP/JDU government, the same party that had caused trouble to them. And this was within 3-4 months of the migrant crisis,” he had remarked.
@vinodkapri and @BDUTT on what exactly happened to all the migrators who went back. #harpercollinsatjlf pic.twitter.com/oS4IhVpwi7
— HarperCollins India (@HarperCollinsIN) March 14, 2022
“All of them voted (for Modi). They conceded when I asked them about it. This is as if you are in pain and you are ready to forget it. And we saw this even after the 2nd wave of Coronavirus. All the 7 migrant labourers have returned to Delhi and are now engaged in the same occupation as before,” Kapri informed.
The journalist-turned filmmaker had directed an 86-minute documentary titled ‘1232 kms’, which was released on Amazon Prime on March 24, 2021, i.e. on the anniversary of the day of the announcement of the first lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The propaganda film follows the journey of 7 migrant workers from the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh to their hometown in the Saharsa district of Bihar. Vinod Kapri had later published a book by the same name, ‘1232 Km: The long journey home’ in May 2021.
He had even vowed to donate the royalties earned from the sale of his book to the 7 migrant workers, whom he endearingly referred to as ‘heroes.’
Delighted to announce the release of my debut today #1232 Km : The long journey home by @HarperCollinsIN .
— Vinod Kapri (@vinodkapri) May 28, 2021
All my royalties from this book will go to 7 heroes of Saharsa.
Need your wishes , love and feedback.
You can order now. https://t.co/xcVyxmVPLG… https://t.co/YmQKxhnrBo pic.twitter.com/VmZnrxpINr
Vinod Kapri has been caught peddling fake news on multiple occasions as part of his sinister propaganda against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government. Despite all his efforts to indoctrinate the 7 migrant workers into believing the government did nothing for them, they ended up voting for the BJP in Bihar.
The Bihar State Legislative elections were conducted in 3 phases between the months of October and November in 2020. The BJP secured 74 seats while its alliance partner JDU won in 43 constituencies. The saffron party formed the government with the help of its two other allies, namely, Hindustani Awam Morcha (4 seats) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Modi government facilitated the return of migrant workers to home States
To deal with this migrant crisis and facilitate the return of labourers to their home state, the Modi government had flagged off Shramik trains on May 1, 2020. Lakhs of migrant labourers were transported back to their home states through these special trains.
“By 25th of May 2020, Indian Railway (IR) operated more than 3,060 SS trains ferried over 40,00,000 passengers,” a report published by IIM -B revealed.
According to the official data, the Railways had incurred a loss of nearly Rs 1,700 crores after it ran Shramik trains to ferry back the stranded migrant labours from various parts of the country. Information received through an RTI application revealed that the Railways had only earned Rs 428 crore till June 29 and ran 4,615 Shramik trains.
Aware of the adversities the poor had to face due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Narendra Modi govt launched the ₹50000 crore ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ to create rural infrastructure and provide jobs to returned migrant workers.
“So far, migrants were helping to build the cities. Now, they will get jobs near their homes. Till now, you were assisting in the development of cities. From now onwards, you will help in the development of your villages, your neighborhoods,” PM Modi had said when he launched the scheme on June 20, 2020.
In August that year, a nationwide survey by media platform Gaon Connection revealed 74 per cent of rural Indians and 50 per cent of migrant workers acknowledged that the Modi government cared both for the cities and villages. A total of 25,300 respondents in 179 districts across 20 states and union territories were interviewed between May 30 and July 16, 2020.
