AAP supremo launches ‘Ik mauka Kejriwal nu’ poster

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 22

Aam Aadmi Party supremo-cum-Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday evening launched a banner “Ik mauka Kejriwal nu” (One chance to Kejriwal) during an “Auto samwad programme” with auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan here.

Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann inaugurated the ‘Ek mauka Kejriwal nu’ poster for Punjab’s auto-rickshaw drivers on the stage, which Kejriwal later pasted on an auto-rickshaw.

He said when the AAP contested the elections for the first time in 2013, auto-rickshaws and taxi drivers played 70 per cent role in that victory. Auto, rickshaw and tempo drivers also made significant contributions in the next two victories, he added.

Kejriwal said the biggest role was played by putting the Aam Aadmi Party’s poster behind the auto-rickshaws. He appealed to the auto-rickshaw drivers here to display the banner on their autos and support them in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

He said, “During the Covid pandemic, the Delhi Government had disbursed a total of Rs 150 crore to Delhi’s auto, taxi and tempo drivers by providing them Rs 5,000 per month, which has not been given by any government in the country to the auto and taxi drivers of their states.”

Drivers share grievances

During the programme, auto and taxi drivers shared their grievances. Lakhwinder Singh Dhillon, an auto-rickshaw union president, said the issues of auto drivers in Delhi are different as compared to Punjab. He said they have been demanding from the government for a long time to draw a yellow line for the autos but nothing has been done to date. “We don’t want anything free but we need employment and policies for betterment of auto drivers,” he said.

Satish from another union said the successive governments and department concerned have collected a large amount from the auto drivers in name of challans, instead of resolving the issues. He said 30 per cent of auto drivers have become unemployed due to the wrong policies of the government.

Ram Teerath, leader of a taxi drivers’ union, said their works are not being done in the government departments concerned due to which the taxi drivers are forced to go to private agents.

Vipan Arora of a taxi drivers’ union alleged the traffic police also unnecessarily harass them by issuing challans. He said the elected representatives don’t hear their issues. He demanded that the government should launch its taxi app so that all drivers can work without paying any commission.

The taxi drivers demanded that parking issues should also be resolved by making free taxi stands at bus stands, railway stations and other locations.

Kejriwal said they would solve the problems of auto and taxi drivers of Punjab on a priority basis like the auto drivers of Delhi.

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