Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that regulations framed by the transport ministry were stifling small-scale industries such as local bus and truck body-building workshops across the country, asserting that MSMEs that ought to be supported were instead being "deliberately strangled".

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed that "Make in India" and "Vocal for Local" were merely slogans, alleging that the Narendra Modi government's policies favoured only big industrialists, while sharing a video on social media of his recent visit to a bus and truck body-building workshop in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where he interacted with artisans and listened to their grievances.

Rahul said such workshops represented an India that created jobs and drove economic activity through skilled labour, but alleged that transport ministry regulations were crippling these industries by holding body builders responsible for bus fires caused by technical faults.

"Sheets of iron... welding sparks... the sound of hammers... amidst all this, artisans forge India's future through their hard work and skill. In the local bus and truck body-building workshops of Jaipur, one witnesses an India that creates both employment and the nation's momentum with its own hands," Rahul said in a post in Hindi.

Warning of the wider impact, Gandhi said that if these factories shut down, the country would lose valuable skills, jobs would disappear and inflation would place a greater burden on ordinary people. "As always, it is the hardworking and skilled Indians who will keep paying the price," he added.

The accompanying video shows Gandhi listening to the concerns of local truck and bus body builders and assuring them that he would take up their issues.

In a Facebook post accompanying the video, Gandhi said the artisans' world-class craftsmanship rivalled that of Ferrari and Rolls-Royce but, instead of receiving the respect and support it deserved, they were being forced to shut down under the burden of regulations.

"When small industries fail, it is not just a factory that closes; India's talent suffers a setback, and hardworking artisans lose their livelihoods. We will not let them be deprived of their right to practice this skill," Gandhi asserted.

The visit comes weeks after Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accompanied by a delegation of truck and bus body builders from Rajasthan, met Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on March 18 to press for relief.

The delegation had complained that the government's new standards, high licensing costs and excessive fees could force many small manufacturers out of business, threatening the livelihoods of millions of families. Following the meeting, Priyanka Gandhi said Gadkari had assured them that their concerns would be resolved expeditiously.

However, in the video released on Monday, the truck and bus body builders said that the issue remained unresolved and alleged that the government was "favouring big companies".