PM Narendra Modi Reneged on Promise of Giving Jobs to Youth, Says Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai, Jun 12: Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not keep his assurance of providing jobs to two crore youth in a year.

Addressing a Congress workers' rally here, Gandhi also targeted the Modi government on a range of issues, as he tried to enthuse the party's booth-level workers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP-led government did not provide jobs to two crore youth in a year as was promised by Modi in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, Gandhi said. The Congress leader observed that China has been providing jobs to 50,000 youth per 24 hours. "However, the BJP-led government gives jobs to 450 youth in the same span," he said.

"(Modi had said) the prime minister will give jobs to 2 crore youth in a year. And in the Lok Sabha, his minister said unemployment is the highest in last eight years in India," Gandhi said.

"The BJP-led government wrote off Rs 2.5 lakh crore loans of India's richest 15-20 people but a similar demand by farmers to waive off their debt was ignored," he said.

"(Union finance minister Arun) Jaitley ji says it is not their policy to waive off loans taken by farmers," Gandhi said. On the government's 'Make in India' initiative, the Congress president said it is the farmers who ensured 'Make in India' happens through their blood and sweat.

"Farmers will compete with China if you strengthen them a little bit," Gandhi said. Earlier today, the Congress leader slammed Modi for "not talking" about employment for youth and farmers and said that his fight was against the government's policies.

Gandhi, who appeared before a court in Bhiwandi town here in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker, also dared the BJP and the RSS to slap as many cases on him as they wanted to.