As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of Rahul Gandhi was on its way to Berhampore in Murshidabad on Thursday, the Congress MP made a quick detour and reached Madhupur village in Suti where he visited the house of one Akbar Sheikh in Suti where women make beedi.

“I never saw such a big leader trying to understand our problems, our sorrows,” said Seema, who along with nine other women beedi makers interacted with Rahul for around 15 minutes.

“He (Rahul) first tried to understand how we make beedi, what is the procedure, etc. Then he asked about our problems; how much we earn as wages and how can he help us.”

“We told him what we get as wages is nominal. With that less money, we cannot run our families. Our wages should be increased. Many beedi workers develop physical ailments after working for years, but we don’t have money for treatment. He heard all our problems with patience and assured us that after returning to Delhi, he will raise our problems,” Seema said.

“I never had seen such a big leader hear our problems. We are overwhelmed,” she added.

Later state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Rahul wanted to meet beedi workers and hear their problems as he is “determined to give justice to workers in different sectors. “He earlier spoke with truck drivers as well. He is basically trying to understand people’s problems and trying to give nyay (justice) to them,” Chowdhury said.

Murshidabad is considered a hub of the cottage industry of making beedi where lakh of women work.