Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday sought support of the rickshaw pullers and auto drivers to “change the face of the country” and assured that their problems would be looked into and would be incorporated in the election manifesto of the Congress.
The Congress leader, who held a ‘chaupal’ (meeting) with hundreds of rickshaw pullers and autorickshaw drivers at the Cantonment railway station in Varanasi, heard their problems for over an hour.
The rickshaw pullers and auto drivers told Rahul that police persecution was their biggest problem. “We are often tortured by the police, which regularly extort money from us. We have to pay the cops all the time”, they said. Around 400 auto drivers and rickshaw pullers were present at the ‘chaupal’. Barring them no one was allowed in the meeting.
Rahul was accompanied by the Congress General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry and Union Minister Oscar Fernandes. One rickshaw puller told Rahul that the cops had seized his rickshaw and now he did not have any means to look after his family.
“I have requested Rahulji to get me another rickshaw and he has assured help”, he said.Rahul also sought to know from Fernandes whether schemes for the unorganised sector workers had been implemented in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress leader later visited the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple and paid obeisance there. He also performed the rudrabhishek, a special ritual to worship Lord Shiva.
