Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met loco pilots of the Indian Railways here on Friday and listened to their issues.
Gandhi’s meeting with around 50 loco pilots came a day after he met labourers at the Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar in the city.
During his interaction at the New Delhi Railway Station this afternoon, the loco pilots, who drive the trains, apprised the LoP about the issues that are being faced by them including “inadequate rest” and demanded a weekly rest of 46 hours.
Gandhi listened to their concerns and endorsed their demand for adequate rest. He noted that this would significantly “reduce accidents”.
He promised the loco pilots to take up their demands with the Central government.
Later, in a social media post, the LoP while apprising about his meeting with the loco pilots said, “Every day thousands of train passengers are a responsibility on their shoulders. But, they are victims of government’s neglect and injustice.”
“Listened to their problems and promised to raise their voices. Have done it before and will continue to do until they get justice,” Gandhi said.
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X wrote, “Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi today met loco pilots at New Delhi Railway Station and heard their problems.”
Attacking the ruling dispensation, Ms Vadra said, “Loco pilots who run trains in Indian Railways work in very difficult conditions. Long distance trains, long hours of duty, no sleep, no rest, they work under stress and this also leads to accidents. More than three lakh posts are vacant in Railways. Thousands of posts of loco pilot are also vacant. The BJP government is not doing recruitment.”
She further said, “Pilots fear that the Modi government is doing this deliberately with the aim of privatising the railways. Rahul ji assured the loco pilots that he will raise their issue in Parliament as the LoP.”