'No policy or intention': Gujarat CM says Congress was responsible for rise in unemployment and corruption in country

Vijay Rupani further said that Narendra Modi took concrete steps to remove poverty and corruption, after becoming prime minister 2014.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Friday claimed that the Congress had no "policy or intention" due to which there was unemployment and corruption in the country before Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014 . Rupani, who was speaking in Surat on the occasion of "Rojgar Diwas," further claimed that more than 2 lakh people got government jobs in Gujarat in last five years alone.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani (File Photo)

"The Congress did not have a policy or intention to eliminate unemployment and corruption in the country, and was therefore responsible for the rise in both. After he came to power, PM Modi took concrete steps to remove poverty and employment. He also introduced skill development initiatives so that people become job givers and not just job seekers," the Gujarat chief minister said, according to PTI. "Congress banned government recruitment in Gujarat while it was in power here. However, PM Modi, during his term as the chief minister, lifted the ban. Over the last five years, we gave government jobs to more than 2 lakh people, while more than 17 lakh people were recruited to the private sector in the same period," he claimed further.

People used to ask former PM Jawaharlal Nehru to "stop giving slogans" if his government cannot provide jobs and employment, Rupani added.

Gujarat, Rupani remarked, has emerged as a "ray of hope" during the time of the coronavirus pandemic. "As against our target of giving jobs to 50,000 youths, we are providing appointment letters to 62,000 youngsters from across the state today. This shows that Gujarat is a land of opportunities, and we invite people to come here to give wings to their dreams," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, adding that it is the Congress leaders who have become "jobless" today and not the youths, as people have forced the party to "shut its shop."

"Rojgar Diwas" was organised as a part of nine-day-long celebrations to mark Rupani's five years in office. The BJP first formed government in the western state in 1995, and has been in power there since then. The home state of both PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, Gujarat is likely to vote for its next government in December 2022.