Shortly after the government made the big announcement of filling up 10 lakh vacancies in 1.5 years, the Congress – already sparring with the BJP over the National Herald case – further went a notch higher and shredded the mega plan. India is experiencing the worst employment rate in 50 years, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, addressing a presser, and added that the rupee has touched a new low. “Twenty-eight lakh government jobs are lying vacant in the country. The constitution and democracy have been smashed under a bulldozer. Till how long will PM Modi distract us with the Twitter games,” he asked.
“The promise was to give two crore jobs every year. Six crore jobs were to be given in eight years. Now they are saying that by 2024, only 10 lakh jobs will be given. 60 lakh posts are lying vacant only in government jobs. Thirty-lakh posts are lying vacant in the central government. Jumlebazi (mockery) for how long?” he asked in a tweet. This was just hours before he was detained near the party headquarters in Delhi where the Congress continued protests against Rahul Gandhi.
#WATCH It’s called “900 chuhe khaakar billi Hajj ko chali”. We’re experiencing worst employment (rate) in 50 yrs, rupee value lowest in 75 years… For how long will PM distract us by playing ‘Twitter Twitter’: Congress on PM announcing to recruit 10 lakh people in next 18 months pic.twitter.com/8yRX7HscRC— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2022
Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi too wrote about the goal to fill two crore jobs a year. “Thank you Prime Minister for understanding the pain and heart of unemployed youth. Along with creating new jobs, we will have to make meaningful efforts to fill up more than 1 crore ‘sanctioned but vacant’ posts. To fulfil the promise of providing 2 crore jobs every year, steps will have to be taken at a faster pace.”
The Prime Minister’s office, earlier on Tuesday, said that Modi had reviewed “the status of human resources in all departments and ministries and instructed that recruitment of 10 lakh people be done by the government in mission mode in next 1.5 years.”
The announcement – which critics say has been eyeing the 2024 national elections – prompted praise from several ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. “The basis of new India is its youth power. To empower them, PM Modi is working continuously. PM Modi Ji’s directive to recruit 10 lakhs in a mission mode in all government departments and ministries in 1.5 years will bring new hope and confidence among the youth. Thank you PM @narendramodi ji for this,” Shah tweeted.