The Congress on Saturday said the Rozgar Mela had exposed the hollowness of the government’s steadfast refusal to acknowledge the unemployment crisis and highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s knack for election-time “tamasha”.

Heaping scorn on Modi’s “event-bazi”, the Congress alleged that the government had withheld the appointment letters for months to facilitate Saturday’s spectacle without thinking of the anguish the delay would cause to the candidates.

The party linked the “tamasha” (razzmatazz) with the upcoming Gujarat elections, while claiming the Bharat Jodo Yatra — with its campaign against joblessness that has resonated with the people — had compelled the Prime Minister to carry out the exercise.

“This is the first victory of the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” party general secretary Randeep Surjewala said.

“Nobody saw the job crisis and suddenly this tamasha of a Rozgar Mela is organised!” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said.

“The Prime Minister has a special knack for creating spectacles out of crises. We saw such a tamasha during Covid as well. His guru, L.K. Advani, rightly said that Modi is an event manager.”

Khera added: “The government is expected to solve problems, not stage tamashas. Where are the promised two crore jobs every year? By now, Modi should have delivered 16 crore jobs. So far, he was not ready to even acknowledge the crisis.

“Now this tamasha of giving appointment letters to 75,000 candidates…. We know the release of the appointment letters was delayed for this tamasha.”

The Prime Minister, who has generally refrained from acknowledging the job crisis, on Saturday blamed Covid and global factors for the grim economic situation. The Congress claimed credit for this, citing the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The three issues the Yatra has consistently raised are unemployment, high prices and divisive politics.

Thousands of youths have joined the walkathon in support of the demand for job creation.

The Congress has been highlighting the job crisis since before the Yatra, arguing that the November 2016 demonetisation and Modi’s pro-corporate policies have destroyed crores of jobs in various sectors.

On Saturday, the last day of the Yatra in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi said: “The Prime Minister promised two crore jobs every year. Talk to the youth and they will tell you that getting a job is impossible. While walking in Karnataka for 20-22 days, I didn’t meet one happy farmer. Yes, if you have Rs 80 lakh in your pocket, you can become a police sub-inspector in Karnataka.”

Surjewala said: “At least, the jumla king was forced to admit that unemployment is the biggest problem in the country. But instead of this event-bazi, the Prime Minister should explain why the promised two crore jobs every year were not delivered.

“He should announce the date by when the country can expect 16 crore jobs. There are 30 lakh vacancies in the government. When will the government fill the vacancies?”

Khera argued that crores of jobs were destroyed over the years because of the devastating impact of the demonetisation on medium and small enterprises.

“During the Congress government, these jobs were regularly available every year: UPSC — 20,000, SSC — 69,000, railways — 30,000, banks — 50,000 and defence — 150,000,” he said.

“In June this year, four ministers held a press conference to announce 10 lakh jobs by 2023…. They hyped up Make in India and made a mockery of that project. Imports from China have increased 60 per cent.”

No fine in Gujarat

No fine will be collected for violation of traffic rules in the state till October 27 in view of Diwali festivities, the Gujarat government has announced. The decision was taken so that people’s “Diwali is not spoiled”, said minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi.

The announcement evoked criticism from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi who termed it a "Revdi" (freebie) from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been vocal against the culture of offering freebies to woo voters. Assembly polls in Gujarat are expected to be announced soon.

"From October 21 to 27, traffic police in Gujarat will not collect any fine from people. If anyone is caught without a helmet or driving licence or found violating any other traffic rule during this period, our police will give them a flower," said Sanghavi in Surat on Friday.