Modi ‘single biggest destroyer of jobs’, govt synonym for unemployment: Congress

New Delhi | Attacking the government over alleged “job crisis”, the Congress on Wednesday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “single biggest destroyer of jobs” and claimed that his dispensation had become a “synonym for unemployment”.

In an all-out attack on the government, the opposition party said Prime Minister Modi came to power promising two crore jobs per year but five years down the line, joblessness and unemployment were at a “45-year high”.

“Modi is the single biggest destroyer of jobs. The Modi government in this country has become a synonym for unemployment,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told a press conference.

Accusing the government of destroying the Indian economy, he said the Modi dispensation had touched a number of new lows. “Economic growth is at a 5-year low. Farm income growth is at a 14-year low. Fresh investments are at a 14-year low. Private investments are at a 7-year low. Industrial growth is at a low of 1.7 percent (down from 7.5%, a year ago). Household savings are at a 20-year low. FDI growth is at a 5-year low. Core sector growth is at a 2-year low,” he claimed.

Earlier, in a tweet, Surjewala slammed the Centre over retail inflation jumping to a four-month high of 2.57 per cent in February and industrial growth slipping to 1.7 percent. The people will change this “useless government”, he said.

Tagging a media report on economic data, Surjewala alleged there were no jobs and the future of the youth was in the dark. “Get ready to wrap up, people will change this useless government,” he said.

At the press conference, Surjewala specifically targeted the government over the alleged loss of jobs and lack of job creation. “(Lack of) Jobs are the single biggest crisis facing India’s youth. As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) survey, unemployment rate has touched 7.2 percent.

“As per National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report, unemployment rate is at 6.1 per cent. Unemployment rate for the youth is at an alarming high level of 13-27 percent. This is the highest in last 45 years,” he claimed.

“The Modi-made disaster of demonetisation alone cost 1.5 crore jobs and plunged the GDP by 2 percent costing small and medium businesses as much as Rs 3 lakh crore. Coupled with a flawed GST, businesses perished and jobs destroyed,” he claimed

Citing the CMIE report, Surjewala said India lost 1.1 crore jobs in 2018 alone and the loss in rural India was even bigger. An estimated 91 lakh jobs were lost in rural India while the loss in urban India was 18 lakh jobs, he said.

Over 88 lakh women lost their jobs last year, accounting for over 80 percent of the total job loss, he alleged. “Rural India accounts for two-thirds of India’s population, but it accounted for 84 percent of the job losses,” Surjewala said.

He claimed that even Niti Aayog “admitted” in February, 2018, that India is plagued by “unsatisfactory jobs and underemployment”. He said the “looming job crisis” reflecting unprecedented unemployment in the country can be gauged from the fact that for 90,000 Railway jobs 2.8 crore youth, including those having post graduate and doctorate degrees, applied

In Uttar Pradesh, 23,00,000 youth applied for 386 posts of peon, in Maharashtra, 2,00,000 youth applied for 1,137 posts of constables, and in Haryana, 18 lakh youth with qualifications of PhD, MSc, MA (Mechanical), MBA, and LLB, applied for 18,000 posts of peon, gardeners and watchmen, he claimed.

“The Modi government exudes the virtues of a MUDRA loan, but fails to tell the people of India that average size of MUDRA loans for 91 per cent beneficiaries is a mere Rs 23,000,” Surjewala said. He asserted that the Congress is committed to create jobs.

“The Congress is committed to putting the agriculture sector, informal sector & MSME’s at the centre of its job creation agenda, besides rapid expansion of the organised sector by infusion of capital, investments and appropriate concessions,” he said.