'Neither promotion nor emotion': Rahul Gandhi meets railway trackmen, video goes viral

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that railway trackmen are the most neglected employees of the Indian Railways. He shared an almost 10-minute-long video of his interaction with trackmen at the Delhi Cantonment railway station along with a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter). 

"There is 'neither promotion nor emotion' in the system for the trackman brothers who keep the railways dynamic and safe. Trackmen are the most neglected employees among Indian Railways. I got an opportunity to meet them and understand their problems and challenges," he wrote on X. 

In his post, Gandhi highlighted the trackmen's problems while adding safe rail travel for crores of people is possible only due to their painstaking efforts.

He added that railway trackmen walk 8-10 kms every day carrying 35kg of equipment. In the video shared by Gandhi, he can be seen asking the trackmen about their issues and safety concerns. 

In this meeting, the trackmen highlighted the issues they face at work including lack of adequate rest due to the nature of their work, which leads to accidents. 

Rahul Gandhi also noted that trackmen retire often without much career advancement as they are not allowed to sit for the departmental education -- Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE).

"Their job starts on the track and they retire from the track itself. Trackmen are not even allowed to sit for the departmental exam which other employees clear to get better posts," he wrote on X. 

He also claimed that around 550 trackmen lose their lives in accidents while working every year as there are not enough arrangements for their safety in place. 

He also listed down the two major demands of the trackmen -- provided with a safety device during work to get timely information of train arrivals and opportunity for promotions through the LDCE exam. 

"Safe rail travel of crores of countrymen is possible only due to the hard work of the trackmen. We have to ensure both their safety and progress," Gandhi said. 

This, however, is not the first time that the Gandhi scion has met a group of Railways employees. In July this year, Rahul Gandhi met a group of Indian Railways loco pilots.

The loco pilots talked about the issues they face at work such as inadequate rest due to understaffing. The loco pilots are hard-pressed at their jobs and have to drive trains over long distances.

The loco pilots are often away from their homes and have to work long hours without enough breaks, which leads to accidents. Gandhi had assured them that he would raise their issues in Parliament.