When Congress MP Rahul Gandhi met vegetable vendor Rameshwar -- the meeting which became an issue of political controversy -- Rahul Gandhi asked him to not call him 'sir'. "Why are you calling me sir. My name is Rahul. Call me Rahul. I am no sir," Rahul Gandhi said to him as seen in a full video released by the Congress. After Ramehwar broke down in front of the camera of a news channel over the exorbitant price of tomatoes, several political leaders acknowledged his struggle and shared the video on social media. On Monday, Rahul Gandhi met Rameshwar and had lunch. The BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi for exploiting the vegetable vendor for his own political gains.
Before the meeting, Rameshwar said it was "Bharat milaap" or “Sudama meeting Krishna” and then started his journey to Rahul Gandhi's residence, as captured in the video.
In the video, Rameshwar told Rahul Gandhi he is from UP and he came to Delhi in the hope of a better life, but it turned worse.
"What work you have done in the last 10 years?" Rahul Gandhi asked Rameshwar. "There is no manual labour that I did not do. Now I don't have that much energy left in me...but I don't see any result of my hard work because the government does not listen to anyone. The poor are being destroyed and the rich are getting richer," Rahul Gandhi said.
{{/usCountry}}"What work you have done in the last 10 years?" Rahul Gandhi asked Rameshwar. "There is no manual labour that I did not do. Now I don't have that much energy left in me...but I don't see any result of my hard work because the government does not listen to anyone. The poor are being destroyed and the rich are getting richer," Rahul Gandhi said.
{{/usCountry}}"Will you have food?" Rahul Gandhi said to Rameshwar and then served him and his family food.
"The moment you start speaking the truth, you will be attacked. You should not think about others," Rahul Gandhi said explaining his 'Nyay scheme' to him.
After Rahul Gandhi met the vendor, the BJP said Rahul Gandhi used the poor person for his politics. "...Rameshwar ji says he has no knowledge about social media but also talks about meeting Rahul Gandhi himself. Did someone tell him to say this? Who wants to meet Rahul Gandhi in India today except the operatives of the Congress party?" BJP's Amit Malviya said.
“You talk and meet a poor person who comes to your home by putting on a mike only when you want to exploit his poverty," Malviya added. Malviya also shared a different interview of Rameshwar where he said he got free cylinders in PM Modi's Ujjawala scheme.
Who is vegetable vendor Rameshwar?
Rameshwar was a vegetable vendor who was interviewed by The Lallantop in the context of the skyrocketing price of tomatoes in the capital.
In the interview, Rameshwar broke down when he was asked whether he would take some other vegetables from the mandi, apart from tomatoes.
The video moved many on social media. Apart from Rahul Gandhi, many Congress leaders reacted to the video. Bollywood actor Vijay Varma expressed his desire to help Rameshwar.