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CHANDIGARH — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday over the unemployment issue and accused him of "systematically" ending the employment system of the country.
Addressing a poll rally in Assandh, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha exuded confidence that the Congress would sweep the October 5 Haryana assembly election.
He raised the issue of caste census and also accused the BJP of dividing the people and pitting them against each other. "The Congress is going to sweep the Haryana elections. A storm is coming and we will form the government for all," Gandhi said.
LIVE: Public Meeting | Barwala, Hisar, Haryana https://t.co/ZDK2Zzww5x
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 26, 2024
Congress MP Kumari Selja, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the party's state unit chief Udaibhan and other leaders were present at the rally.
Attacking the BJP government, Gandhi said it has "destroyed" Haryana.
The former Congress chief referred to his recent visit to the US and said he met some youths from Haryana who went there in search of a better future as they were unable to get employment opportunities in their state.
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Gandhi said he found that 15 to 20 Haryana youths were staying in one room in Dallas, Texas.
The Congress leader said he asked them how they reached America and came to know about their ordeal of travelling through countries such as Kazakhstan and Turkey as well as South American nations and the jungles of Panama, to reach the US.
They were looted by the mafia on their way to the US and even saw their brothers dying, Gandhi said.
Addressing the rally, Gandhi said he was told by one of the youths that it required at least Rs 35 lakh to reach the US which they either borrowed at an exorbitant rate of interest or got it by selling their farmland.
Asked if they could have started some business in Haryana instead of spending the money on travelling to the US, they replied it was not feasible to start any business with that money, the Congress leader told the rally.
A business cannot be started in Haryana with Rs 50 lakh, Gandhi said, adding he was told by the youths in Texas that had they spent the amount on starting a business in Haryana, it must have failed.
One of them even tried and he failed, he said and accused the BJP government of "killing" small businesses with a "wrong" GST regime.
Some 10-15 people want to sell Chinese products in India, he alleged.
"Take out a list of Chinese companies and see who are their partners in India. The youth of China are getting the benefits, the Chinese government and the billionaires here are getting the benefits," he said.
"There is unemployment and inflation," he said, adding the Haryana youths he met in the US told him that there was nothing to do for people like them in Haryana.
"If a youth is poor, he cannot get a bank loan nor he can start a business, get a job or join the Army. One after another, every door has been shut for you," Gandhi told the rally.
Referring to his recent visit to Karnal, Gandhi said he met the family members of one of the youths who has moved to the US.
The family members were speaking to the youth on a video call when his child shouted 'Papa, Papa come back' and the man could not say anything, the Congress leader said. The kid was in pain every day as he could not meet his father for 10 years, he said.
"Why? Because the Haryana government has destroyed the state," he alleged as he lashed out at the BJP over the unemployment issue. "Narendra Modi ji and the Haryana government systematically ended the country's employment system."
Gandhi alleged that the BJP government tried to snatch from farmers whatever they had with the "black" farm laws. After months of protest, the Modi government in November 2021 announced that it would repeal the three farm laws and it was done in the Winter session of Parliament that year.
Gandhi told the rally that he had received complaints from Jammu and Kashmir that the apple business had been hit. "In Himachal, the apple business goes to Adani," he alleged while raising the issue of farmers not getting the right price for their crops.
"The whole planning is done for 10-15 people," he claimed.
Gandhi alleged the debt of farmers would not be waived and they would not get crop MSP but the Rs 16 lakh crore-debt of 25 billionaires will be waived, he alleged.
Referring to the allegations of sexual harassment made by women wrestlers last year, Gandhi claimed the accused was being protected.
Talking about the Congress' poll promises, he said Rs 2,000 will be given to women per month and cooking gas cylinders will be given at Rs 500. Two lakh vacancies in government departments will be filled, he said, adding farmers will be given guaranteed crop MSP and houses will be built for the poor.
"This fight is not for Haryana. It is a fight for the country. It is a fight to save the Constitution," he said.
Accusing the BJP of attacking the Constitution, Gandhi said, "All (government) institutions are handed over to the RSS people and the whole control is of Nagpur."
"They are running the country. They have their own people in the Election Commission, bureaucracy, media and intelligence services."
About the caste census, Gandhi said, "We want to know how many Dalits, tribals and backwards are there in the country and how many poor belong to the general category."
He claimed that there was not a single Dalit or OBC person in the management of 250 big business firms in the country.
Ninety people (secretaries) run the government of whom only three are Dalits while the community constitute 15 per cent of the country's population, Gandhi told the rally.
"This is the truth. That is why we said the caste census will be conducted at the national level. I have said before, whether Narendra Modi does it or not, I will get it passed in the same House," he added.