Rahul Gandhi visits Dharavi leather hub in Mumbai; interacts with workers

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited the Dharavi leather hub in Mumbai and met leather industry workers and entrepreneurs. Dharavi has nearly 20,000 leather manufacturing units which employ close to one lakh people.

He is on a one-day visit to Mumbai and will leave for Ahmedabad in the morning.

Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai is said to be a private one, and no meeting of state Congress leaders has been scheduled. However, an informal interaction with the Congress leaders is likely.

Congress leader Charan Singh Sapra, while talking to ANI, said, "Rahul Gandhi ji has come to meet leather workers in Dharavi today to understand how the small-scale leather industry works and the issues they face."

Dharavi is part of the Mumbai South - Central Lok Sabha constituency represented by Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad. Her younger sister Jyoti Gaikwad is the Congress legislator from Dharavi.

One of the leather industry units that Rahul Gandhi visited is Chamar Studio set up by Sudheer Rajbhar.

“Sudheer Rajbhar of Chamar Studio encapsulates the life and journey of lakhs of Dalit youth in India. Extremely talented, brimming with ideas and hungry to succeed but lacking the access and opportunity to connect with the elite in his field,” Rahul Gandhi said in a statement released by the Congress later. “However, unlike many others from his community, he got the opportunity to build his own network. He understood the latent skill of the artisans of Dharavi and he created a brand that is recognised in the most esteemed corridors of fashion globally. Chamar Studio’s success highlights how traditional artisanship and modern entrepreneurship can work together so that skilled artisans get a piece of the success they build with their own hands.

“While working with Sudheer and his team in Dharavi today, I underscored the importance of inclusive production networks that uplift skilled workers across various sectors. I felt it was equally important for Sudheer to share his knowledge and experience with others, so we brought our friend Ramchet mochi from Sultanpur to meet him and understand how design and innovation can transform his business. I spoke in the Lok Sabha about how a prosperous India can only be built through “production and participation”. Chamar Studio’s success shows this model works – and I hope we can replicate such a model all over India.”

Former Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale, however, termed Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Dharavi “slum tourism”.