Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of promoting privatisation of state-owned companies and reducing the number of government jobs in the country.

Addressing a public meeting here in Haveri district, he attacked the government on the issues of corruption, price rise and unemployment.

Government companies were being privatised one by one, and government jobs were being reduced, alleged Gandhi, who was on a visit to the state to campaign for the party ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls.

"When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, he said two crore youth would be given jobs every year. (But) unemployment is highest today in 40 years," he said.

In the healthcare and education sectors, the government was supposed to build institutions but instead they were all being privatised, Gandhi said.

"We don't want such a Hindustan, We don't want an unemployed India, we don't want a poor India, we want justice," he said.

He appealed to the people to give the Congress at least 150 seats (out of a total of 224) in the elections. "Don't give them (BJP) more than 40 seats," Gandhi said, Gandhi reiterated the "40 per cent sarkar" charge against the Basavaraj Bommai government, adding that former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who recently quit the BJP and joined the Congress, was not given a chance by the ruling party to contest in the elections as he did not indulge in corruption.

Earlier in his interaction with sugarcane farmers at Ramdurg in Belagavi district, he said India’s progress depended on the progress of its farmers, labourers and small businesses.

Gandhi said his conversations with farmers in Karnataka and across India had given him insight into the "ordeals brought upon them by the corrupt BJP regime, which is only focused on helping 2-3 of its 'mitr'".

Farmers and small business owners must be protected and empowered, not assaulted with "flawed policies like the BJP’s GST", he said. "The Congress party is committed to scripting such a growth story, which brings prosperity for all," he said.

"Karnataka is all set to bring in this change," added Gandhi.

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