Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP government at the Centre of promoting violence by raising divisive issues, which had set the citizens against each other and created an atmosphere of insecurity. Foreign investors were wondering if they should risk their money in India in such conditions, he said.
Addressing a “Yuva Aakrosh” (youth outrage) rally outside Albert Hall here, Mr. Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had destroyed India’s image as a peaceful country before the world. “People earlier identified Pakistan with an environment of violence and saw India as a country which took everyone along... Mr. Modi has tarnished this image of India,” he said.
‘Diversionary tactic’
He said the BJP government had brought the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to divert attention from the real issues. “Wherever the PM goes, he talks of CAA and NRC, but he does not speak a word on unemployment which is the biggest issue,” he said.
The rally was organised by the Youth Congress and the party’s student wing, National Students’ Union of India, to highlight the issues confronting the youth. Mr. Gandhi said the youth were the nation’s biggest asset, but the Centre’s policies had destroyed their potential and left them to struggle for livelihood.
He said while the unemployment rate had touched the highest figure in 45 years, the growth rate of 9% reached during the UPA regime had now declined to 5%. The current growth rate was only 2.5% if calculated with the old gross domestic product formula used in the UPA period, he said.
Mr. Gandhi launched the “National Register of Unemployed” (NRU) as an answer to the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) during the rally and unveiled its posters. The posters prepared by the Youth Congress carried slogans such as “I want a job, not rhetoric”, “I have a degree, but no job” and “Where is my job?.
Mr. Gandhi said one crore people had lost their jobs last year, while the government had promised to create 2 crore jobs every year when elected to power. “We have the best talent in the world, but it is being wasted,” he said while asking the youth to raise questions on unemployment.
Mr. Gandhi also criticised Mr. Modi on demonetisation and the goods and services tax, which he said had damaged the economy.
