Kharge claims Modi wants to "keep poor as poor and rich be more rich," accuses him of ignoring 35 lakh job vacancies

New Delhi [India], January 29 (ANI): Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is deliberately not filling over 35 lakh job vacancies in railways, universities, and schools, claiming that it is because 50 percent of the recruits would come from marginalised communities.
Kharge slammed Modi for prioritising the interests of the rich while keeping the poor in poverty, and demanded that the government fill the vacancies to provide employment opportunities to the poor.
"In this country, there are 35 lakhs vacancies (in jobs), but Modi is not ready to fill the vacancies. Modi's aim is to keep the poor as poor and let the rich be more rich. There are vacancies in railways, universities and schools. Modi is not paying attention because if the recruitment happens, 50 per cent of them will be from SC, ST, OBCs, and other marginalised communities. This is why he doesn't want to fill the vacancies," Kharge said while addressing a public rally in Burari assembly constituency.
The Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) further alleged that Prime Minister Modi does not want the poor to take advantage of the opportunity to secure jobs, and hence, he was unwilling to fill 30 to 35 lakh vacancies.
"If you really want to give employment, you should fill the 30-35 lakh vacancies. Why is he not filling? Because these jobs will go to the children of the poor. Modi doesn't want them (the poor) to utilise this opportunity," Kharge said.
Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its critique of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Kharge said that they didn't even go to jail for the country during the freedom struggle.
"You people (BJP) criticise Nehru, you were not even born then. Modi and Shah are even younger than me. However, they talk and abuse our leaders - be it Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Indira Gandhi, or Lal Bahadur Shastri. You didn't even go to jail for the country and nobody from your home fought for the country's (freedom). And you teach us?"
Meanwhile, Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi addressed a public rally in Bawana ahead of the Delhi assembly election and accused AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and PM Modi of making only false promises. Furthermore, he said that development only took place during Sheila Dikshit's regime.
"Kejriwal and Modi both make false promises... Kejriwal had promised Delhi that he would clean the Yamuna river and drink its water. Five years ago, he had promised that he would drink the water of the Yamuna River... I challenge him to go and drink the water of the Yamuna River. This is the difference between Congress, Arvind Kejriwal and Modi...." he said.
Earlier, the Prime Minister on Wednesday came down heavily on Kejriwal for his "poisonous water" remarks. He strongly criticised the AAP chief saying that he made "disgusting allegations" due to fear of losing elections and the country, people of Haryana and Delhi will never forgive and forget them for this "sin."
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, with the counting of votes set for February 8. A total of 699 candidates are competing for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi.
The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and failed to win any seats. In contrast, AAP dominated the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, winning 67 and 62 seats, respectively, out of a total of 70 seats, while BJP secured only three and eight seats in these elections. (ANI)