Even UPA did not create enough jobs, admits Cong chief

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been mounting an attack on the BJP over unemployment, candidly admitted on Tuesday that even the previous UPA government at the Centre had not delivered on the job-creation front.

"Even the UPA did not create the number of jobs required," Rahul said during his opening remarks at an interaction with professionals and businesspersons. Throughout his 4-day tour of the poll-bound Karnataka, which concluded on Tuesday, Rahul has attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "failing to create the promised two crore jobs every year."

According to the Congress leader, China created 50,000 jobs a day whereas India created only 450 jobs a day. The only way India could compete with China was by creating more jobs, and not militarily, he said.

Death for child rapists?

Rahul said he would discuss with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the pros and cons of awarding death penalty to child rapists.

This, after child rights activist Geeta Sajjanshetty urged Rahul not to allow the state government to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on the lines of what Madhya Pradesh has done.

"World over, we have seen that death penalty has no deterrent value. We should focus instead on victims," she said. In response, Rahul said: "I'll have a conversation with the chief minister and we'll let you know."