Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday highlighted the issues being faced by DTC employees and said those who make the journey of lakhs of passengers smooth everyday have only gotten injustice in return.
Sharing a video of his interaction with Delhi Transport Service (DTC) employees last week and a bus ride he undertook, Gandhi said on X that the DTC employees are asking the government that if they are permanent citizens, why are their jobs temporary.
"A few days ago, after a pleasant bus ride in Delhi, I interacted with DTC employees and got to know about their daily routine and problems," the former Congress chief said in his post in Hindi.
"No social security, no stable income and no permanent job - contractual labour has reduced a job of great responsibility to a state of compulsion," he said.
While drivers and conductors are forced to live in the darkness of uncertainty, the home guards who are constantly deployed for the safety of passengers have been without salary for six months, Gandhi said.
Troubled with this neglect, like government employees across the country, DTC workers are also living under the constant fear of privatisation, he said.
"These are the people who run India, make the journey of lakhs of passengers smooth every day - but if they have gotten anything in return for their dedication, it is only injustice," he said.
The demands are clear - equal work, equal pay, complete justice, Gandhi said.
"With a heavy heart and a saddened mind, they are asking the government, 'If we are permanent citizens, why are our jobs temporary!'" Gandhi said.
In the video, Gandhi is seen taking an Uber ride with a driver, with whom he had earlier travelled and later released a video highlighting the problems of gig workers, to the place near the Sarojini Nagar Bus depot where he interacted with the drivers, conductors and marshals last Wednesday.
In a Facebook post, Gandhi had shared pictures of his interaction and the bus ride.
"There was a meeting and discussion with the driver and conductor brothers, and bus marshals in Delhi and then a fun ride in a DTC bus. A talk with loved ones on their issues!" he had said in a post in Hindi on X.