AAP’s Sanjay Singh to raise porter crisis in Parliament

New Delhi: As the central government increasingly privatises porter services at railway stations, thousands of porters (coolies) across India are struggling with job insecurity. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, on Tuesday, announced that he will raise the issue in Parliament, following a meeting with members of the porter community.

At a press conference, Singh criticised the government for ignoring repeated demands to safeguard porter livelihoods. He recalled a policy introduced during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister that provided employment to coolies.

“Over 22,000 were employed under that scheme, but nearly 20,000 still await jobs,” Singh said. He alleged that privatisation had reduced work opportunities and taken away income sources. “Today, porters have neither government jobs nor consistent work. They are struggling to survive — they don’t even have enough to eat. How are they supposed to feed their families?” asked Singh, adding he would support any future protest.

Ram Suresh Yadav, National Convenor of the Rashtriya Coolie Morcha, also addressed the press.

Porter leaders said privatisation has left workers with little employment, despite promises of benefits. They criticised the lack of education, healthcare, and rest facilities, and demanded formal absorption into Indian Railways, as done in 2008.