The Congress leader was seen interacting with auto-rickshaw drivers and also sharing a meal with them
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, interacted with a group of auto-rickshaw drivers in Delhi on Friday afternoon (May 29). He was seen dressed as an auto driver and reportedly “unexpectedly” joined a group of rickshaw drivers for a meal at Todarmal Park in the Bengali market, according to photos shared by news agency ANI on X.
The Congress leader took selfies with children during the interaction and reportedly listened to the concerns of daily auto rickshaw drivers amid rising costs of living as a result of oil price inflation due to the US-Iran war.
“We could not find a job,” an auto-rickshaw driver, who had a meal with the Congress leader, told ANI. “Rahul Gandhi interacted with us. He promised to raise our issues in Parliament, insurance, and other support. We even shared a simple meal. We were unexpectedly greeted by Rahul Gandhi while we were eating, and we felt relieved.”
Meeting with workers
This is not the first time that Rahul has met workers to listen to and address their daily concerns. Back in July 2024, the Congress leader interacted with workers at Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar (GTB) in the national capital, as HT had previously reported.
“There is no respect for manual labor in India today, I had said this earlier as well – today, this thing was confirmed after meeting workers who stand daily looking for work in GTB Nagar,” the Congress leader posted on his social media accounts. “They live on a meager daily wage due to inflation, and even that is not guaranteed. Providing full rights and respect to laborers and manual workers in India – this is my life’s mission.”
Wearing a white T-shirt for the occasion, he was indulging in some craft work on site.
Stuti Gupta is a content producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, where she is part of the general news team, tasked with reporting on events across the country that impact the local and international environment. In her role at HT, she is responsible for monitoring incoming news updates, packaging stories and publishing them in a format that best suits her purpose. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, and is interested in working in international affairs. Aside from her interest in the geopolitical world, she is a reader, writer, speaker, debater, and learner who loves obtaining new information. She has been recognized for her previous literary work at an international level having won the Gold Prize, Gold Prize and Silver Prize in various years participating in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition along with winning Third Prize and publishing her story in Children’s World in 2017. Except for academic and professional endeavours, she has a passion for traveling to new places, exploring new cultures and cuisines, documenting them through words and images and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. She is also very passionate about studying and actively participating in art forms such as cinema, dance, theatre, and music as a tool for cultural storytelling.Read more
