Rahul Bajaj has died aged 83. Former boss of the Bajaj company, known in India and Africa for its scooters and tricycles, he was also one of the few to publicly confront the authorities on political problems.
With our correspondent in New Delhi, Sebastien Farcis
In India, Bajaj is the name we read every day on the hood of scooters. All-purpose and indestructible vehicles, these autorickshaws are the mode of transport most used by the common people. These two or three Bajaj wheels are now also circulating in a dozen African countries, where they compete with Chinese scooters.
The Bajaj company was founded in 1926 by Rahul Bajaj’s grandfather, and he ran it from the 1960s for over 40 years before passing it on to his children. Today, Bajaj Auto is one of the top three manufacturers of two- and three-wheeled vehicles in the world. The company is also present in household appliances, steel, insurance and banking.
criticism of power
Above all, Rahul Bajaj was one of the few businessmen who dared to confront power. In 2019, he publicly took on the Minister of the Interior, saying that the business world could no longer criticize the government, for fear of repressions.
The cabal he was subjected to after those remarks certainly confirmed those fears, and since then no other businessman has risen to contradict the authorities.
If you imagine what the death of Enrico Piaggio (the inventor of the Vespa) meant for Italy in 1965, you are under what the death of Rahul Bajaj means for the Indians.
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