In a pleasant surprise for his die-hard supports, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, came calling on the porters at the Anand Vihar railway station and interacted with them as a wellwisher.
The Congress MP even wore their uniform and lifted luggage on his head striking an instant chord with them.
Gandhi’s visit to the railway station came months after a few porters urged him to meet them to understand their issues and work for their uplift.
To know the issues confronting the porters, the former Congress president listened to their grievances and aspirations with rapt attention and wanted to know their demands.
According to party sources, the Congress leader spoke with the porters at length and discussed the problems they face in their day-to-day life.
In a post on his WhatsApp channel, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Today, met the coolie brothers working at Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi. I also had this desire in my mind for a long time, and they had also called me very lovingly – and the wish of the hard-working brothers of India should be fulfilled at any cost.”
The Congress, on its official X handle, wrote, “People’s leader Rahul Gandhi met his porter colleagues at Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi today. Recently, a video had gone viral in which the porter colleagues of the railway station had expressed their desire to meet him. Today Rahul ji reached among them and listened to them leisurely. Bharat Jodo journey continues.”
A porter said Rahul Gandhi paid a sudden visit to Anand Vihar ISBT and listened to the difficulties the porters faced. “We mentioned all our difficulties. Our workload has been reduced as lifts have been constructed. In 2008, Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister and had given us jobs. Some of our members did not get jobs then and now their children have grown up, so we request the government to provide them with jobs. We don’t have proper accommodation facilities. We are 168 people here and we have also requested to increase our rates,” a porter shared.
Another porter added that Rahul Gandhi wore the uniform of the porter at the request of the porters. “We raised the demand to increase our labour rate and also provide us medical insurance,” he added.
The Congress MP, in the last few months, has surprised people with his visits to common people. He visited Bengali Market and Jama Masjid area to eat out and then visited the Mukherjee Nagar area to interact with the UPSC aspirants.
He also visited Delhi University’s PG Men’s hostel and had lunch with the students there before taking a truck ride from Haryana’s Murthal to Ambala to understand the grievances of the truckers.
One such jaunt of the leader was his visit to farmland in Haryana’s Sonepat during the paddy sowing season, where he interacted with farmers, which had become the talk of the town. He even invited the village women of Sonepat at his house and hosted dinner for them.
He visited a vegetable vendor Rameshwar separately over lunch at his residence here. He also visited bike mechanic shops in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, and visited Azadpur Mandi amid skyrocketing prices of vegetables.
Recently, Rahul undertook a motorcycle ride in Ladakh, Leh and Kargil region to visit with the locals and interact with them.