The Congress has decided to intensify its campaign in election-bound states, particularly in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where reports suggest a close contest with the BJP.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address 17 public rallies over the next 15 days in Madhya Pradesh, which include padyatras by Rahul whose Bharat Jodo Yatra had generated wide interest among the people. Rahul will hold padyatras in Jabalpur and Bhopal, while Kharge and Priyanka will address public meetings across the state.

While Rahul concluded his three-day tour of Telangana on Thursday, Kharge will address two public rallies in Chhattisgarh on Friday. Kharge will reach Madhya Pradesh on November 4.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the idea was to cover all 230 constituencies all over again, with Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh addressing at least 130 more meetings before the campaign ends on November 15. Asserting that the objective was to reach the target of 150 seats, Shrinate said the party would go full throttle in the last two weeks.

To bolster the campaign in Rajasthan, Kharge on Thursday appointed five special observers — Mukul Wasnik, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Jitendra Singh, Shaktisinh Gohil and Shakeel Ahmad Khan. While the campaign in Rajasthan is being spearheaded by chief minister Ashok Gehlot himself, the high command felt the need to send reinforcements on the basis of feedback from observers. Kharge, Rahul and Priyanka will also upgrade their involvement in the state.

The party has augmented its communication system in the states — while general secretary Jairam Ramesh has held two media conferences in Chhattisgarh, Shrinate and Pawan Khera are holding fort in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. They have drawn up a plan to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi without any delay, apart from spreading the word on the Congress’s robust welfare agenda in all the states.

The party picked up the issue of the unemployment rate crossing 10 per cent on Thursday, demolishing the BJP’s claim that joblessness had dipped to a six-year low in the country.

Citing data by the CMIE (Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy), Kharge said: “The unemployment rate has crossed 10 per cent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has staged such a ‘Berozgari Mela’ in the country that the youths are wandering from pillar to post to get a job.”

This was a jibe at Modi’s “Rozgar Melas” where appointment letters are distributed to new recruits and even those who have been promoted. Kharge said: “Modiji, you are doing PR stunts by distributing appointment letters for already sanctioned posts/ vacancies, which is like rubbing salt into the wounds of youths. The 20 per cent rise in demand for jobs under the MGNREGA shows the desperation of the jobless.”

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said: “India’s growing Modi-made economic crisis continues to spiral out of control. CMIE data shows that the unemployment rate in India is now at above 10 per cent, the highest in over two years — when it already was the highest ever in five decades. Rural unemployment is 10.8 per cent. MGNREGA demand is up 20 per cent from last year. The number of households demanding work is even higher than that before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, showing how all talk of an economic recovery is a complete farce.”

He added: “One crore Indians entered the labour market in October 2023, and lakhs will be unable to find work. Just last week, news came of hundreds of engineers applying for a government peon’s job. Infosys and Wipro have said they will not be recruiting from colleges this year. A vast majority of Indians, especially educated youths, are suffering due to the Modi-made economic crisis. Modi’s enduring legacy as Prime Minister is record unemployment. So the government will go to any lengths — manipulation, distortion and distraction — to hide the problem. But the youth of India know the truth. It’s time for the Prime Minister to retire.”