Bollywood actor Sonu Sood received word of praise from Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday after he sent migrant workers stuck in Mumbai back to their home in Uttarakhand. The actor funded a chartered flight to help fly over 170 migrant workers to Dehradun. Thanking Sonu Sood for his gesture, Uttarakhand CM invited him to visit the hill state when the coronavirus crisis is over. Rawat spoke to Sood on phone to express his gratitude.
"Talked to film actor Sonu Sood today on phone to thank him for his humanitarian gesture. He and all religious and social organisations that helped migrants return to their home states have done a commendable job," Rawat said in a Facebook post. The chief minister said he has extended an invitation to the actor to visit the state when the COVID-19 crisis is over.
After hearing from Rawat, Sood on Twitter said he derived more strength from the chief minister's word of praise. "It was good to hear from you sir. The simplicity and warmth with which you praised my efforts have given me more strength. I will soon come to Uttarakhand for a darshan of Badri-Kedar and pay a visit to you," the actor tweeted.
Talking about sending the migrant workers back to their home state of Uttarakhand, Sonu said, "As another charter flight takes flight today, our efforts to help migrant workers stranded in various parts of the country have only grown stronger. Most of them have never had the opportunity to experience air travel, and the smiles on their faces brings me a lot of joy as they take this AirAsia India flight to reach home to their families and friends".
Earlier, Sood arranged a special chartered flight for 167 migrant workers stuck in Kerala to help them reach their homes in Odisha.
On a related note, Sood featured in a powerful video by Jhansi Police in which he can be seen spreading awareness about the necessary precautions one needs to take to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In the video, Sonu Sood says, "All Indians are Corona warriors as they are taking care of themselves and their family members. Some are fighting outside while some by staying at home. I appeal to all of you to listen to this message by Jhansi Police. By following this message, you can keep yourself and your family members safe and help in fighting Corona."
Jhansi Police shared the video on Twitter and wrote, "@SonuSood the messiah of migrant workers is equally concerned for the safety of every household from #COVID19 He makes a fervent appeal to follow the safety guidelines explained by the female constables of @jhansipolice & NCC cadets" The actor also reacted to the video and tweeted, "Well done @jhansipolice . So proud of you. Keep the good work going. Jai hind." Watch the video here-
(With PTI inputs)
