Rahul takes dig at BJP over Gadkari’s ‘Where are the jobs?’ remark
NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a potshot at the Narendra Modi-led government over the unemployment issue after one of his cabinet ministers conceded that there is a job crunch.
“Excellent question (Nitin) Gadkariji. Every Indian is asking the same question. Where are the jobs,” Rahul tweeted attaching a news report in which the Union Road Transport and Shipping Minister questioned the rationality behind a job reservation stir when there were not enough jobs in the first place.
Rahul’s remarks came a day after Gadkari on Sunday told reporters in Maharashtra that reservation would not guarantee employment as jobs were shrinking.
“Let us assume the reservation is given. But there are no jobs. Because in banks, the jobs have shrunk because of IT. The government recruitment is frozen. Where are the jobs?” Gadkari asked.
He also said that the problem with the quota is that “backwardness is becoming a political interest”.
Gadkari said that one school of thought is that “a poor is poor, he has no caste, creed or language. Whatever may be the religion..., in all communities there is one section which has no clothes to wear, no food to eat”.
Whereas the other school of thought is “we must also consider the poorest of the poor section in every community”.
This is a “socio-economic thinking” and it must politicised, he added.
In a tweet late on Sunday, Gadkari also clarified that the government is not planning to change the criteria for reservation from “castes to economic conditions”. not be MARATHA QUOTA PROTESTS Maharashtra BJP MP Heena Gavit on Monday demanded a probe into the attack on her vehicle by over 200 pro-maratha reservation protesters outside the Dhule Collectors office.
“I was attacked by over 200 people when I was travelling from Dhule. And only four police personnel were there. My party workers rescued me,” the Nandurbar MP told the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.
“Some 15-20 people were arrested but later let-off,” she said. The Bharatiya Janata Party member also wanted to know whether she was targeted for being a tribal.
Demanding suspension of the Superintendent of Police for not taking action against the 200 protesters who attacked her vehicle, Gavit showed the photographs of the attack and that the culprits were garlanded.
The incident took place on Sunday when Gavit was emerging from an official meeting at the Dhule Collector’s office.
The protesters are demanding reservations in government jobs and education for the Maratha community in Maharashtra.