A contentious payment dispute has emerged in Bulandshahr, involving container truck operators who actively participated in Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’. Expressing deep-seated grievances, the truck owners are now demanding justice and have even issued threats of legal recourse against the implicated transport company for their failure to settle outstanding dues. The issue, brought to the public by a circulating social media video, has intensified as truck owners allege repeated appeals to the yatra organizers have fallen on deaf ears, leaving them high and dry with pending payments amounting to lakhs of rupees.
Bulandshahr, Anupshahr: Drivers of the vehicles used in The Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra claim to be not paid, dues worth lakhs of rupees. pic.twitter.com/B2dem3ni4P
— IANS (@ians_india) April 3, 2024
Container manager Udayveer Singh shed light on the matter, recounting an arrangement struck approximately three months ago wherein he and about 25 others were engaged by transporters Manoj Kumar and Anil Kaushik from Delhi to participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra alongside Rahul Gandhi.
One of the drivers, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed their involvement in the Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra but lamented the non-receipt of promised payments. Highlighting the criticality of timely compensation, the driver emphasized that failure to address this issue would leave them with no option but to pursue legal avenues, given the substantial sums at stake.
Moti Singh, another affected truck operator, underscored the assembly of truck owners, all gathering to voice their discontent over the lack of reimbursement for their services during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Singh revealed that his pending payment amounts to a staggering Rs 3 lakh 50 thousand. These trucks were reportedly operated under the purview of Manoj Singh’s Delhi-Haridwar transport operation.
Taking decisive action, Moti Singh spearheaded a move to submit a formal request to the Anupshahr police station, urging immediate intervention against the implicated transport operators and demanding the prompt release of withheld funds. The station-in-charge at the police station has verified receipt of this request, signaling a nascent but critical development in the unfolding saga.
However, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) seemed oblivious to the brewing storm, with a spokesperson asserting their lack of awareness on the matter and advising outreach to party leaders in Delhi for further insights.
The dispute arises against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi’s culmination of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on March 16th, marking the conclusion of a journey initiated on January 14, 2024, from Thoubal in Manipur. This foot march, initiated in the aftermath of the party’s electoral setbacks in three out of four states during the previous year’s assembly elections, was seen as a strategic extension of the party’s longstanding agenda, characterized by its emphasis on inclusivity and equitable justice.
