New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently travelled from Washington to New York in a truck and engaged in a candid conversation with the driver that centred around the everyday lives of Indian-origin truck drivers in the US.
Gandhi’s journey in the truck during his recent visit to the United States came days after he took a truck ride from Delhi to Chandigarh to listen to the problems of truck drivers.
Continuing his journey to listen to people in India as well as overseas, the Congress leader went on a 190-km “American Truck Yatra” from Washington DC to New York with driver Taljinder Singh Vicky Gill and his companion Ranjeet Singh Banipal, a journey that ended with a scrumptious breakfast at an eatery, according to a release issued by the party.
Much like his truck ride from Delhi to Chandigarh, a candid heart-to-heart conversation centred around the everyday lives of Indian-origin truck drivers in America was the highlight of the journey, the release said.
During the ride, Gandhi noted that the trucks in the US are designed keeping in mind the safety and comfort of the driver, which is not the case in India.
It was highlighted during the ride that while truck drivers here at home struggle to make ends meet with meagre wages and a record price rise, their American counterparts receive dignity for their labour with decent wages.
During his conversation with Gill about the rising prices of commodities, inflation and politics in India, Gandhi noted that no religion teaches one to spread hate.
They also listened to Sidhu Moosewala’s songs along the way.
“There are a lot of lessons we can draw from the American truck industry to plan a new vision for the truck industry here in India. Indian truck drivers are the lifeline of our logistics and deserve a life of dignity too,” the statement said.
They are at the forefront of ‘Bharat Jodo’, literally, and their progress is bound to have a positive cascading effect on the entire economy of India, it added.
Gandhi travelled from Delhi to Chandigarh in a truck Last month.
In visuals and videos, the former Congress chief was seen sitting inside a truck, travelling with a driver, and speaking to drivers at a dhaba.
(With input from agencies)