The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal listened to the problems and difficulties of auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers of Punjab and their suggestions for a permanent solution under the ‘Auto Samwad Program’ held in Ludhiana and assured that after the formation of the AAP government in Punjab in 2022, they would solve the problems of auto and taxi drivers of Punjab on priority basis like the auto drivers of Delhi.
He said that necessary reforms and changes will be made in the rules and regulations as has been done in Delhi. This ‘Auto Samwad’ of Kejriwal became even more interesting when an auto rickshaw driver Dilip Kumar Tewari, invited the Chief Minister of Delhi for dinner at his residence and at the same time requested that it will feel good if he (Kejriwal) will go to his house in his auto for dinner. Accepting this immediately, Kejriwal asked if he should take Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema with him. At the end of the program, Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema got into the auto and went to Dilip Tewari’s house and had dinner.
Addressing hundreds of auto rickshaw and taxi drivers during the ‘Auto Samwad’ program, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Due to the unparalleled work done by the Delhi government for auto and taxi drivers, every auto driver in Delhi considers me (Kejriwal) as his brother. In the same way today I have come to be your brother. I have come to build a relationship. Make me your brother; I will solve all your problems by becoming a brother. Not only the problems of auto, but children’s education not getting better at home, issues related to health; I will solve all the problems.” On the occasion, Kejriwal announced the formation of a joint corporation based on auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, so that they could formulate their own policies.He said that before the formation of the AAP government in Delhi, auto drivers did not know how many times they had to pay bribes from morning till night. Kejriwal said that the auto-rickshaw drivers have been branded as mafia with a deliberate conspiracy, but we have openly supported auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, saying that if the auto-rickshaws and taxi drivers were mafias; they too would have built big houses instead of living in slums or small houses.