Congress' helpline for jobless will highlight mess in economy

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday launched a helpline to register unemployed youth across the country and demanded that the government bring out a National Register of Unemployed (NRU) using those numbers.

The programme launched by the Indian Youth Congress would include apart from the help line, protests across the country by the district units of the party and a widespread social media campaign which has been named “Naukri Ki Baat”.

The country does not need an NRC, it needs an NRU, these are diversionary tactics of the Modi government so that the focus is not on joblessness, which is the highest in the last 45 years, AICC in-charge of the Indian Youth Congress  Krishna Allavaru said here.

 The decision to launch the agitational programme against unemployment comes amid increased realisation within Congress that protesting against the NRC and CAA might end up polarizing the electorate benefiting the BJP and thus the focus should be brought back on the failing economy.

“Unemployment in the country is at its highest in the last 45 years. Youths are committing suicides because of economic recession and massive unemployment. Despite all these pressing problems, Prime Minister says everything is fine (saab changa si) but the youth, women, poor are telling this government that nothing is fine,” Mr Allavaru said.

Terming the current slowdown as “Modi made Mandi (recession)”, the IYC in-charge said that from 2004 to 2010 when the world was reeling under heavy recession, India’s economy survived and unemployment was always kept under control. International crude oil prices touched 150 dollars per barrel yet the Congress government was selling fuel at Rs 40 to Rs 50.

“Now the international crude oil prices are at half price of what it was in 2009, but Modi government is selling fuel at the highest prices ever. But to deviate from the said pressing problems Modi government is coming out with issues like CAA and NRC.”

Youth Congress president Srinivas B.V. said: “Six years ago, Modi ji promised two crore jobs per year but till date no data is provided. When finance minister was questioned about rising onion prices she said she does not eat onion and therefore she is unaware of the same but today, I want to ask her that why has government eaten Nation’s GDP which has gone down from 9 percent GDP to 2 percent”.

“Our Prime Minister recently bought spectacles worth 2.5 lakh for watching solar eclipse but Youth Congress wants to know through which spectacles can he see the plight of unemployed youth of the nation,” he asked.

As reported by this newspaper earlier, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi would also be doing a series of “Youth” rallies across the country beginning with Jaipur on January 28.