Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India’s youth are the country’s biggest strength but their educational qualifications are losing value as degrees no longer guarantee jobs despite the financial burden on students and their families.
Addressing the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event at KP Ground in Prayagraj, Gandhi said he wanted to speak to young people about “dard (pain), data, and daulat (wealth)” and highlighted what he described as shrinking employment opportunities across sectors.
“You are the power and pride of India. When I say this, I am talking about every Indian citizen. This evening I want to speak to you about dard (pain), data, and daulat (wealth),” he said.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi banks on youth outreach in Congress’s former bastion Prayagraj
‘All doors’ to jobs have been closed
Gandhi said students pursue education with the hope of finding employment, but “all the doors” leading to jobs had been closed. He said no other country has such a large pool of young talent.
{{/usCountry}}Gandhi said students pursue education with the hope of finding employment, but “all the doors” leading to jobs had been closed. He said no other country has such a large pool of young talent.
{{/usCountry}}Referring to recent student-led protests, Gandhi praised young people for speaking out against issues affecting them. “Youths have lit a torch in the darkness by overcoming their fears and speaking up. They have helped bring about change in the country,” he said. The Congress MP from Rae Bareli urged young people to reject hatred and violence, saying, “We will change the system with love and affection.We will never resort to hatred or violence.” On manufacturing, Gandhi said, “The first door that has been closed is manufacturing.”
He alleged that markets were flooded with products from China and Vietnam and claimed demonetisation and what he called a flawed GST regime had hurt India’s manufacturing sector. Small businesses in leather, textiles and automobile components, he said, had suffered and many had shut down.
Gandhi targets privatisation, loan access
The second door, he said, was entrepreneurship. “The government spoke about Startup India, but the most important requirement for starting a business is access to bank loans,” he said, adding that banks were reluctant to lend to ordinary students and young entrepreneurs while large corporate groups received loans worth crores.
He said, “In 2014, the public sector provided employment to around 14 lakh youth, but now that number has come down to about seven lakh due to privatisation.”
Also read: Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav looking to create vote bank among students, says Keshav Prasad Maurya
UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya in a post on X said: “Despite the open support of Akhilesh Yadav and full strength of the SP-Congress alliance, Rahul Gandhi’s visit was a flop show.”