Mechanics need to be empowered to strengthen automobile industry: Rahul

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.