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Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the central government for the severity of unemployment in the country, claiming that out of every 1,000 young people, only 12 managed to secure a permanent job.

Addressing a massive gathering of students at the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event in Prayagraj, Gandhi highlighted a grim reality of the labour market, stating, "Let me give you the figures: out of every 1000 young people, only 12 land a permanent job. As for your data, it is taken away from you; it is handed over to major corporations Jio, Adani, Facebook, and Google, and you are ensnared."

Youth manipulated by digital platforms

The Congress leader warned that the youth are being manipulated by digital platforms to get them "addicted" to social media. "You are told to watch as many reels as you like, send as many WhatsApp messages as you wish, and browse or create content on Instagram. This is the addiction of the 21st century, and then you are told to work for Blinkit or Uber, or to do manual labour. You can indulge in this 21st-century addiction, but you cannot get a job; you cannot find employment in this country," he said.

Gandhi stated that there are 40 crore "energetic young people" in the country who represent the nation's true strength. He said that while people talk about China, America, and Russia, all of them pale in comparison to the youth of India and their potential in the 21st century.

Highlighting the importance of data, he said, "In the 21st century, a country's progress relies on two things: the youth potential that you possess and the data that you generate. India has the youth, and it also possesses the largest volume of data in the world. Every Indian consumes one gigabyte of data daily; future progress will be driven by this data and your potential. Youth plus data equals the 21st-century economy."

Avenues for employment destroyed

However, Gandhi argued that the primary avenues for employment have been destroyed.

Manufacturing sector dismantled

Discussing the manufacturing sector, he said, "The first door is manufacturing. Today, in the world, you'll see 'Made in China', 'Made in Vietnam', 'Made in Bangladesh', but you won't see 'Made in India'. The reason is that demonetisation and the wrong GST have destroyed our manufacturing system. Small businessmen who used to provide employment, and industries like leather, textile, and automobile that used to manufacture in India... all that has been finished. The first door is closed."

Failure of Startup India

Moving to the second avenue, he criticised the failure of 'Startup India' to support the common student. He stated, "The second door is entrepreneurship, which was called 'Startup India'. The most important thing in Startup India is bank loans for students like you, and financial support for small businesses. Brothers and sisters, India's banks will never give even one rupee to students like you. 90% of small and medium industries do not get bank loans. The door to entrepreneurship is closed."

Corruption in government jobs

On the issue of government recruitment, Gandhi pointed to the prevalence of corruption and systemic failure. He said, "The third door is what we call government jobs, where you face paper leaks. In that door, brothers and sisters, only one out of 150 youths makes it. If 150 youths take an exam and look for a government job, only one youth gets through."

He further lamented the decline of the public sector, noting that it used to provide employment to 1.4 million youths 10 years ago. "Brothers and sisters, the public sector has been privatised. Public schools were closed, public hospitals were closed... Navratnas were picked up and sold, companies like BSNL were sold," he added.

Corporate jobs under AI threat

Gandhi even expressed concern over the corporate sector, which he claimed is now under threat from technological displacement. "And the last... your last hope, corporate jobs. IT, back-office, transcription, software... where Indian youth used to get employment earlier. That door too, brothers and sisters, is being closed using your data through AI."

Another student expressed his gratitude to Gandhi for raising the voice of the youth and alleged lot of paper leaks under the current UP administration, including the 2017 Daroga recruitment, the 2018 UP Constable recruitment, the 2020-21 UP SI recruitment, the 2022 Lekhpal recruitment, and the 2023 RO/ARO and UP Constable recruitment exams.

Struggle must be rooted in Indian values

Concluding his address with a call for peace, Gandhi emphasised that the struggle must be rooted in Indian values. He said, "We will never work with hatred and violence. The culture of Hindustan is one of truth and non-violence. No student's heart should harbour hatred, only love. We must end this corrupt system with love and affection. I stand with every youth fighting for their rights, and I will continue to stand with them."