Meet the 34-year-old auto driver who hosted AAP chief Kejriwal for lunch

“It was a sudden plan,” Kumar told The Indian Express. “One of my friends was going (for the meeting) and he asked me to come along with him. During the meeting, we invited him (Kejriwal) to come for lunch because I had heard that he had gone to have lunch in Gujarat at an auto wallah’s house,” said Kumar.

On Tuesday, in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls, Kejriwal promised several welfare measures for autorickshaw drivers including life insurance cover of up to Rs 10 lakh, Rs 5 lakh accident insurance policy, and relaunching the ‘Poochh-O App’.

Born and raised in Bihar’s Lakhisarai area, Navneet has been living in the Capital for 15 years.

Sitting in his house, he said his life changed for the better after the AAP came to power in Delhi. Gesturing to the poster behind his vehicle, he said: “Hum samarthak toh shuru se hain (We have been his supporters since the beginning).”

“Today, autowallahs can easily get passengers. Earlier, when we would park our vehicles for a short while, we would be troubled (by police),” said Kumar, adding that he has been fined just for parking his vehicle to have lunch. “This doesn’t happen now.”

“Earlier, we had to run to Najafgarh every year to get passes for our meters but now it can be done online. The charges for GPS tracking and the fitness fee were also waived,” said Kumar.

His wife Pooja, who came to the city a year and a half ago, said: “We get free medicines at mohalla clinics, and bus rides are free as well which helps us save money.”

Kumar’s cousin Nand Kishore, a 30-year-old law student, said one thing that the Delhi government should work on is pollution. “Many like my brother drive in such polluted weather which is not good for anyone’s health. This is something the government, Centre and State, should work on.”

Kumar also claimed the Centre is responsible for halting the AAP government’s work. “Kejriwal was put behind bars — it was nothing but a conspiracy by the BJP government.”

He had one request from the party. Earning around Rs 15,000-20,000 a month, he said it becomes difficult to save money due to excessive inflation and he cannot think of owning a house in Delhi. “The government can also think about allocating a house to autorickshaw drivers because most of us drivers live on rent,” he added.