Rahul Gandhi corners Modi govt on joblessness, farmer issues, claims if Congress comes to power there will be no BPL family

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called the Narendra-Modi-led government a “flop show” for not living up to the promises of generating employment in the country. “The BJP has failed to create jobs,” Rahul told a media gathering in Chennai ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, adding that India has seen the highest rate of unemployment since 35 years. Promising people that unemployment will be a major poll agenda for the Congress, Rahul said that there will be no family under the Below Poverty Line if his party comes to power. “The government has destroyed the SMEs and attacked them through demonetisation and GST. The Modi government has been a flop show when it comes to job creation and employment,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_6251391” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Hoardings of Rahul Gandhi are seen in Nagercoil, TN. PTI[/caption] Rahul also said that discussions are on with the party’s manifesto committee to increase the expenditure on education to six percent. He blamed the central government for ignoring farmers and also sought answers on why Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar was sent back to Pakistan under the NDA rule. On the political front, Rahul confirmed that alliances have been firmed up in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, and that talks on alliances in Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir are in the final stages. “The first thing our government will do is to bring back harmony in the nation. Culture should not be under attack, languages should not be under attack. India belongs to everybody,” Rahul told reporters. Slamming BJP’s intention to ‘capture every institution’, he said that the Tamil Nadu government is remote-controlled from Delhi. “This country is not going to be ruled from Nagpur. BJP differentiates between states where they are in power and where they are not. I believe in decentralisation. I don’t think the country should be run from the PMO. I also don’t believe that a state should be run from the CM’s office,” Rahul remarked. Clarifying that the Opposition is not raising questions on the capability of the Rafale aircraft, Rahul said an investigation will find if Modi and Anil Ambani — whose company Reliance Defence is an offset partner in the Rs 36,000-crore fighter jets deal —  are guilty of corruption.