New Delhi, May 16 (IANS): Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh Jitin Prasada has hit out at his party colleague and data analytics department chief Praveen Chakravarty after and old video of the latter where he is seen analysing the resource allocation between states for a media house, went viral. Prasada said contribution of UP can't be ignored in nation building.

"The migrants that you see headed back home to UP are the ones fuelling the growth in the states you are talking about. You cannot ignore UP's contribution to nation building and India's growth story," said Prasada.

Praveen Chakravarty, the head of data department of the Congress party, is heard saying in the video that south India bears the cost of northern states in terms of fund allocation.

But he got sharp response from Prasada, a former union minister, who said, "People from UP are not a drain but an invaluable asset. #UP Zindabad."

The Congress leader from UP said the people from UP have been worst hit by the pandemic and scores of people have lost their lives. "Its Unfortunate that you compare the funds in the same country where people from UP go and build the southern states," he said.

Prasada said that it is pathetic and sad that 24 migrant workers died and 20 seriously injured in the collision between the mini-truck and a trolley in UP's Auraiya district, early on Saturday morning.

In another such incident, five migrant workers died in an accident on Saturday in Madhya Pradesh when their truck overturned on the Sagar-Chhatarpur road. Eighteen co-passengers were injured in the incident.