Over 2 lakh jobs 'eliminated' from PSUs, govt trampling upon hopes of youth, says Rahul Gandhi

Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of "eliminating" two lakh jobs from Public Sector Units (PSUs) and increasing the number of contractual jobs to do away with the quota regime.

He said the hopes of lakhs of youth are being "trampled upon" by the ruling BJP for the benefit of a few "crony capitalist friends", as PSUs, the pride of India and the dream of every youth for employment, are "not the priority" of the government.

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"Employment in PSUs of the country has come down from 16.9 lakh in 2014 to only 14.6 lakh in 2022. Do jobs decrease in a progressing country? 1,81,127 jobs lost in BSNL; 61,928 in SAIL; 34,997 in MTNL; 29,140 in SECL; 28,063 in FCI; 21,120 in ONGC," Rahul tweeted.

Accusing the government of "eliminating two lakh jobs" despite promising to generate two crore jobs annually, he said, "On top of this, the government has almost doubled the contract recruitments in these institutions. Is increasing contract employees not a way to take away the constitutional right of reservation? Is this finally a conspiracy to privatise these companies."

He questioned the decrease in PSU jobs at a time even loans are waived for industrialists and said, "What kind of 'Amrit Kaal' is this? If this is really 'Amrit Kaal' then why are jobs disappearing like this."

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Rahul claimed that the country is "grappling with record unemployment" under the Modi government as the "hopes of lakhs of youth are being trampled upon for the benefit of a few crony capitalist friends".

"If the PSUs of India get the right environment and support from the government, they are capable of increasing both the economy and employment. PSUs are the property of the country and the countrymen, they have to be promoted so that they can strengthen the path of India's progress," he said.