Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday (September 9) lashed out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi just hours after the latter's comments on unemployment in the country. Gandhi made comments and observations at University of Texas in the United States. During the programme, Gandhi said 'India has an employment problem' suggesting that unemployment rate is high in the country.
"I don't know from where he gets the figures, there is good number of opportunities that are available in the country also. We need to connect them through proper skilling. It is an activity and continuous process, you can't just cut the line and say that this is happening in India. In the last 10 years, under the leadership of PM Modi, we have improved the number of employment opportunities in the country also," said Civil Aviation Minister am Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu as quoted by ANI.
What did Rahul Gandhi say?
This is what Rahul Gandhi said during the programme at University of Texas.
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"The West has an employment problem. India has an employment problem... But many countries in the world don't have an employment problem. China certainly doesn't have an employment problem. Vietnam doesn't have an employment problem. So there are places on the planet that are not struggling with unemployment. There's a reason. If you look at the United States in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, they were the centre of global production. Anything that was made, cars, washing machines, TVs, all made in the United States. Production moved from the United States. It went to Korea, it went to Japan. Eventually, it went to China. If you look today, China is dominating global production... So what has happened? The West, America, Europe, and India have given up on the idea of production and they've handed it to China. The act of production creates jobs. What we do, what the Americans do, what the West does, is we organise consumption," said Gandhi.
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli alleged that Gandhi was presenting an incomplete picture.
"Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the opposition of the world's largest democracy so he has to choose his words in a manner that gives the complete correct picture. It is strange that he always finds some good example of China and never finds a reason to look at it from India's point of view about what all has happened in terms of the relationship between India and China. He finds fault with the parliament's functioning and refers to it as a war zone. He fails to inform people that the opposition parties led by him somehow look for an opportunity or an excuse to disrupt parliament," said Kohli as quoted by ANI.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said Rahul Gandhi did not understand ground reality.
"Rahul Gandhi is the 'Yuvraj' of Congress's dynasticism. It is unfortunate that a man who is sitting in the opposition, who was born with a golden spoon. He doesn't know the ground reality and doesn't try to understand it. He has no vision and he speaks what is given in writing to him...Rahul Gandhi wants to insult the country and tarnish its image," said Sinha as quoted by ANI.
Congress closes ranks around Rahul Gandhi
Congress leaders rushed to support Gandhi
"The data is before everyone. Can't they see the data? What enmity does the BJP have with data? 'Desh virodh' is when you give clean chit to China. If he speaks on the basis of data that unemployment has increased in 10 years in our country, what wrong did he say? You tell us why did it increased; you are in power...You destroyed the lives of youth. We can't even discuss it?...We will discuss it," said Congress leader Pawan Khera as quoted by ANI.
"Rahul Gandhi has gone there to deliver an address, present his views. It is a reality that in the last 10 years, the country has faced the highest-ever unemployment in 40 years. This has been done by the BJP. This is a historical truth, a geographical truth and a truth based on data," said Congress MP Pramod Tiwari. He was quoted by ANI.
