RSS arm criticises Narendra Modi and demonetisation, claims 20 lakh jobs lost since 2014

As if the Opposition’s tirade against the ill effects of demonetisation weren’t enough, the labour arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday criticised the Narendra Modi government and its decision to demonetise the old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 claiming that more jobs have lost since demonetisation was announced on 8 November. [caption id=“attachment_3113960” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] “Under the new government, 1 lakh and 35 thousand job opportunities have been created so far but 20 lakh people have lost their jobs,” Baij Nath Rai, president of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, a labour arm of the RSS, told The Telegraph in a report that appeared on Friday. Although Rai was quick to add that the situation wasn’t any better in the previous government, it criticised the government saying that the situation has worsened since demonetisation. Sharing the sentiments of President Pranab Mukherjee, who on Thursday, has said that India had witnessed a jobless growth, The Telegraph quoted Rai as saying, “We have reports of job losses in the unorganised sector because of demonetisation, but how deep the impact has to be ascertained.” Earlier, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and other economists had shared fears of contraction of the GDP due to the sudden announcement of the Modi government, an issue that Rai raised too, however, he stated that his organisation is applying a wait and watch approach on the same. Rai also criticised the Modi government’s focus on skill development “instead of working towards increasing job opportunities”.