'MSMEs being strangled': Congress leader Rahul Gandhi puts out video of visit to bus, truck body-building workshop

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that regulations framed by the transport ministry were stifling small-scale industries such as the local bus and truck body-building workshops across the country, and asserted that MSMEs that ought to be supported were being "deliberately strangled".

Gandhi also alleged that "Make in India" and "Vocal for Local" are merely slogans as the Modi government's policies cater only to big industrialists.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha posted a video on social media of his recent visit to a local bus and truck body-building workshop in Jaipur, where he interacted with those involved in the manufacturing process.


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"Sheets of iron... welding sparks... the sound of hammers... amidst all this, artisans forge India's future through their hard work and skill. In the local bus and truck body-building workshops of Jaipur, one witnesses an India that creates both employment and the nation's momentum with its own hands," Gandhi said in his post in Hindi along with the video.

"Yet, regrettably, regulations framed within the Ministry of Transport in Delhi are stifling these small-scale industries across the country. The blame for bus fires caused by technical faults is being laid at the door of these artisans who merely construct the vehicle bodies," the former Congress president said.

MSMEs that ought to be supported are instead being "deliberately strangled", Gandhi alleged.

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"Make in India" and "Vocal for Local" are merely slogans, and the Modi government's policies cater only to big industrialists, he further alleged.

If these factories shut down, it won't just halt business as skills will be lost, jobs will vanish, and the burden of inflation on the common people will rise, Gandhi said.

As always, it is the hardworking and skilled Indians who will keep paying the price, Gandhi said.

In the video, Gandhi is seen listening to the problems of the local truck and bus body builders and promises to take up their issues.

In a Facebook post along with the video, Gandhi said, "Meeting local bus and truck body builders in Rajasthan revealed an India that creates both its own employment and the momentum that drives the nation forward."

"Instead of receiving the respect and support their world-class craftsmanship, rivalling that of Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, deserves, they are being forced to shut down under the burden of regulations. The Modi government's anti-MSME policies are strangling these industries," he alleged.

"When small industries fail, it is not just a factory that closes; India's talent suffers a setback, and hardworking artisans lose their livelihoods. We will not let them be deprived of their right to practice this skill," Gandhi asserted.

This visit comes weeks after Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accompanied by a delegation of small truck and bus body builders from Rajasthan, met Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on March 18 and urged him to address their grievances.

Before meeting Gadkari, the delegation had met with Rahul Gandhi and claimed that the government's new standards and excessive fees could drive many small manufacturers out of business, thereby threatening the livelihoods of millions of families.

Following the meeting with Gadkari, Priyanka Gandhi had told reporters, "The truck and bus body builders faced the problem that they have to incur significant expenses to obtain licenses, and the process is also extremely time-consuming. Gadkari has assured us that he will resolve their issues expeditiously."

In the video released by Gandhi, the truck and bus body builders tell Gandhi that the issue had still not been resolved, as the government was "favouring big companies".