Rahul Gandhi slams Modi govt on lack of jobs

Lucknow: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mounted another scathing attack on the Modi government on the issue of providing employment to the youth and securing farm incomes.

Addressing a rally of farmers and youth at Kathaura, Mr Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised 2 crore jobs to the youth every year but had failed to fulfil his promise.

“Every 24 hours there are 30,000 youth who need jobs and the government is able to provide jobs to only 400 youth. The gap is increasing and the government is doing nothing to bridge it. In China, there are 50,000 jobs available every day. Modiji talks of Swachh India, Make in India and start-ups but what about employment,” he said.

“Modi should not waste India’s time and focus on farmers and youth. If he cannot do it, he should say so; Congress will take over, we will do it in six months,” he said.

Mr Gandhi, who is in his parliamentary constituency Amethi on a three-day visit, also came down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre for “reckless implementation” of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and causing hardship to the common man.

He said that demonetisation had affected the economy and people were losing jobs, and that the GST was a Congress idea but his party had capped the tax limit at 18 per cent.
 
“The Modi government has created five tax slabs and small traders are finding it difficult to file multiple returns. Business is being affected and small traders are the worst hit. I suggest, as an Opposition leader, that the government initiate dialogue with small groups and understand their problems,” he said.

The Congress leader, who is visiting Amethi after an eight-month gap, also recalled how Mr Modi had “ridiculed” the rural job scheme, MGNREGA, which was a Congress brainchild. “But Modi realised later what the MGNREGA meant for the common man and he began praising it. The Congress initiates programmes after consulting common people, taking their suggestions. But the BJP people don’t do that. Modi doesn’t consult anybody. For example the Swachhta scheme. He suddenly thinks that India should be cleaned and without asking anyone will order everyone to take a broom and clean India,” Mr Gandhi said.

“In Amethi, the Modi government took away the Food Park Project which would have set up 40 different units. The project would have benefited farmers and youth the most,” he added.