Two days after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan declared that all State government jobs would be reserved for youths from the State, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath reminded them that the BJP’s previous tenure left them desperate and in despair.
Also read: Modi govt. has failed ‘miserably’ to create jobs: Rahul Gandhi
Addressing the youth on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary via videoconferencing on Wednesday, Mr. Nath said no thought was given nor was any policy formulated for their employment by the BJP regime. “In the past 15 years, Madhya Pradesh has been left behind. Just by making announcements in the media the youth won’t get jobs,” he said.
Mr. Nath said if only the previous BJP government had kept some of its promises, the State would have moved ahead. “Their politics is more about diverting attention,” he said.
Youths who completed their college five-ten years ago were now overage, waiting for a bright future, and belonged neither to villages nor cities, he pointed out. “Jobs are continuously reducing. For businesses, arranging for funds is a huge issue. Today’s youth is of the internet age who have a zeal to move forward.”
Also read: Modi govt. failed to provide jobs to youth: CPI leader
In 2018, the Congress was handed a State that topped in farmers’ suicides, unemployment, atrocities on women and corruption, he said. He infused a new thinking and direction into the government’s working. “In five years, my aim was to transform the picture of the State. Opportunities in government jobs were very limited. I created a policy to generate new jobs in the private sector.”
While easing rules to invite industries to the State, he said, they were mandated to give 70% jobs to local youth. The State had the potential to become a horticulture and logistics hub, towards which his government was working. “This would have churned economic activity and the youth would have got jobs,” he said.
Also read: Modi govt. disrupting balance between organised and unorganised economies, says Rahul Gandhi
Mr. Nath recalled that Mr. Gandhi believed the youth’s participation would determine the course of the country’s development. “When he spoke about preparing the Information and Technology sector, the Opposition joked about it.”
