Mechanics need to be empowered to strengthen India's automobile industry: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Jul 9: The mechanics in India need to be empowered in order to strengthen the country's automobile industry, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday as he shared a video of his recent interaction with motorcycle mechanics at Delhi's Karol Bagh.
Calling it the "next pit stop" of the "Bharat Jodo Yatra", Gandhi shared on social media glimpses of his candid conversations with the mechanics at Karol Bagh on June 27, in which he is seen learning the nuances of servicing a bike and answering their queries.
In the video, Gandhi is heard saying that he has a KTM390 motorcycle, which is just parked unused as his security people do not allow him to go for a ride on it.
Gandhi also answered queries from the mechanics, with one of them asking when would he get married, to which the former Congress chief replied, "Let us see."
At the bikers' market, Gandhi interacted and serviced a motorcycle with Umed Shah, Vicky Sen and Manoj Paswan.
"To strengthen the automobile industry of India, there is a need to empower the mechanics of India," the former Congress chief said in a tweet in Hindi.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra is all about learning by listening to the voices of all sections of Indians, especially those who have not been able to narrate their stories of triumphs and travails, according to a statement issued by the Congress.
"The next pit stop of this journey was at the bikers' market in Karol Bagh, New Delhi where I met a group of super mechanics, and had open and candid conversations with these hard-working men who keep the wheels of Bharat moving," Gandhi was quoted as saying in the statement.
"I made an effort to understand the difficulties and know the dreams of mechanics in India. As he taught me the nuances of servicing a bike, Umed Shah, a senior mechanic, told me how poverty had forced him to stop his studies and become a mechanic, like his elder brother, decades ago," the Congress leader said.
He added that Paswan and Sen told him how the meagre returns of their profession worried them everyday because of the responsibilities of family life.
"I saw many others facing similar problems, working hard to make ends meet, even at the cost of their health," Gandhi was quoted as saying in the statement.
"Our mechanics toil to sustain the automobile industry -- they deserve access to better facilities and the best opportunities. In the prosperity and well-being of every individual and workers of every profession lies Bharat's true progress," he asserted.
Tagging Gandhi's tweet and video, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Taking forward the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi met the mechanics of Karol Bagh.
"During the conversation, he tried to see and understand what the life of a common mechanic is like. What kind of challenges do they have to face," Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi.
"These are the hands that take our country forward. It is very important to understand their concerns and grievances and create a system that gives them access to better facilities and opportunities," Ramesh said about the mechanics.
भारत के सुपर मैकेनिक - जिनके पाने से देश की तरक्की का पहिया चलता है!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 9, 2023
भारत जोड़ो का नया पड़ाव, करोल बाग़ की गलियां - जहां बाइकर्स मार्केट में, उमेद शाह, विक्की सेन और मनोज पासवान के साथ बाइक की सर्विसिंग की और मैकेनिक के काम को गहराई से समझा।
भारत के ऑटोमोबाइल उद्योग को मज़बूत… pic.twitter.com/Q5QwHgC2Fj
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Congress calls for probe over BJP's 'use of blackmail' to bring Ajit Pawar into NDA fold
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Saturday called for a probe into alleged "blackmail" and "coercion" used to bring NCP leader Ajit Pawar into the NDA fold and said the BJP's "washing machine" was nowhere more powerful than in Maharashtra.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's recent remarks to claim that the issue involved not just the use of "coercion and blackmail" but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.
"The BJP's washing machine is an all-India phenomenon but perhaps nowhere was it more powerful than in Maharashtra," he said.
When in opposition before 2014, the BJP raised allegations about massive corruption by Ajit Pawar, then the state's irrigation and water resources minister, Ramesh pointed out and added that the allegations claimed corruption to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore.
Ajit Pawar has now confirmed that blackmail and coercion surrounding these charges were used by the BJP to bring him over to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Congress leader claimed.
"The non-biological prime minister himself led the charge, famously labelling the NCP -- now his much beloved ally at the state and Centre -- as a Naturally Corrupt Party," he said.
"Ajit Pawar has now revealed that after becoming chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis showed him a file recommending an open inquiry against Ajit Pawar in the alleged irrigation scam. One can only imagine the threat that was implicit in this move: submit to us, or face action," Ramesh said.
Ajit Pawar and several other MLAs broke away from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year.
Ramesh asserted that this was a serious matter since it involved not just the use of coercion and blackmail but also breach of the oath of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.
An investigation should be conducted into this matter, the Congress leader said.
His remarks came days after Ajit Pawar alleged he was "backstabbed" by close colleague and then home minister RR Patil, who ordered an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.
Ajit Pawar claimed a file mentioning Patil's remarks ordering an inquiry was shown to him by BJP leader Fadnavis after he became chief minister in 2014.
He made these claims while addressing a rally for NCP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil, who is in the fray against the late Patil's son Rohit from Tasgaon in Sangli district.
