The Congress has asked the government to provide details of the 75,000 jobs for which appointment letters were issued at Sunday’s Rozgar Mela, addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing doubts about the veracity of the exercise.
“The 75,000 beneficiaries who you claim to have given jobs, please put out their names and phone numbers and the departments where they will work,” Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said.
“Create a dedicated website and make the information public. Anybody can check who got the jobs in the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Mela.”
Gohil added: “Have you really given jobs to these people? Or have you just hired them on contract? And what procedures were followed to select these candidates? There should be transparency: please tell the nation to whom and how these jobs were distributed. Also, explain how long these posts were lying vacant.”
Gohil went on: “Dekhiye, agar aapko jhooth bolne ki adat nahin hoti, toh hamein aapse sabot mangne ki kabhi zaroorat nahin padti (We wouldn’t have asked for proof if you did not have a habit of lying).
“You promised to give two crore jobs every year. After several years, you decide to hold the Rozgar Mela. Why this small job fair now, when 16 crore jobs should have been provided already? Why didn’t you give two crore jobs every year?
“When we asked questions in Parliament, the government conceded that jobs had shrunk. (Asked) how many jobs you (had) created, you didn’t answer. Now several ministers are talking of giving 20,000 jobs. Why are (all) the vacancies not being filled?”
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had earlier alleged that the appointment letters of some of the 75,000 had been held back for months – with no regard for the candidates’ possible feelings — to create the spectacle of the Rozgar Mela ahead of Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Gohil said that Modi should not resort to “stunts” like the Rozgar Mela over a sensitive issue like joblessness.
“The people don’t expect stunts from someone who holds the Prime Minister’s post. The Prime Minister is expected to deliver substantial schemes. You have broken the hope of India’s youths by creating this unemployment problem. You have started this trend of hiring people on contract and the contractors exploit them,” he said.
Gohil, who is from election-bound Gujarat, warned: “Not only are the youths angry, every section of society is angry. Anganwadi workers are asking for adequate compensation but you are not giving it. You are giving them a fixed salary. This too is exploitation. The Prime Minister should answer questions instead of fooling people by organising such spectacles.”