#HowsTheJobs: Congress hits out at Narendra Modi govt over NSSO unemployment data, says Centre failed to fulfil promises

The Congress on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government after a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) between July 2017-June 2018 showed that the unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent, the highest since 1972-73 .

Speaking to reporters, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said that employment in the country is at an all-time low, much unlike the BJP’s claims. He added that the prime minister, in his address at a joint sitting of the Parliament on Thursday, failed to mention many of the NDA’s missteps including the seven percent drop in investment rates and the falling GDP.

Government has failed in all its promises. Investment rate too has gone down by 7%. President failed to mention this in his address: @AnandSharmaINC

— Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) January 31, 2019

He also noted that “trades have stagnated and exports have nosedived” under the BJP government.

Our trades have stagnated and exports have nosedived. During UPA govt, we were increasing our exports at 16% per annum, by 2013-14 only merchandise exports reached to ₹323bn. We should've crossed ₹500bn last year. Under Modi govt, we fell to ₹262bn: @AnandSharmaINC

— Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) January 31, 2019

He added that the government has failed to deliver on many of its promises, including creating 100 smart cities, enrolling 10 crore candidates in the Kaushal Vikas Yojana, and improving conditions for farmers in the country.

Criticising the Centre’s schemes, he said the Make in India project was “hardly local”. “Even the logo for the Make in India scheme was not actually made here,” he said.

He cited the NSSO report while saying that employment took the biggest hit after demonetisation.“The unemployment rate among rural males has increased from 5 to 17.4 percent after demonetisation, and from 4.8 to 13.6 percent among rural females. Among urban males, the unemployment rate increased from 8.1 to 18.7 percent and among urban females, it increased from 13.1 to 27.2 percent.”

He added that youth unemployment in cities rose 7.8 percent, the highest in history.

Continuing his barb on demonetisation, Sharma said that President Ram Nath Kovind, who in his speech in Parliament lauded the elimination of black money, was wrong about his assessments. “Barely, 0.01 percent of currency did not come back to the banking system, whereas the entire country suffered.”

He said that the time has come for the BJP to be accountable to the people of India.

How’s the Jobs, asks Congress

Congress president Rahul Gandhi joined the attack on the prime minister, using the hashtag #HowsTheJobs on Twitter to highlight the low employment rates under the NDA government.

NoMo Jobs!

The Fuhrer promised us 2 Cr jobs a year. 5 years later, his leaked job creation report card reveals a National Disaster.

Unemployment is at its highest in 45 yrs.

6.5 Cr youth are jobless in 2017-18 alone.

Time for NoMo2Go. #HowsTheJobs pic.twitter.com/nbX4iYmsiZ

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 31, 2019

The Congress on its official Twitter accounts, including the women and youth units of the party also used the hashtag along with visuals to explain the fall in employment “in typical BJP style”.

Since PM Modi doesn't understand India is in the middle of a major unemployment crisis, we've decided to explain it to him in typical BJP style. #HowsTheJobs pic.twitter.com/5oQL9lWafU

— Congress (@INCIndia) January 31, 2019

Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, Youth Congress chief Keshav Chand Yadav and former Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Pande were among party leaders who joined the attack on Modi on Twitter.

The NSSO’s data is significant because this was the first comprehensive assessment of India’s employment situation conducted after Modi’s decision in November 2016 to withdraw most of the country’s banknotes from circulation overnight, the report said.