Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the PM on the National Recruitment Agency
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the creation of eight crore jobs in four jobs has silenced "those spreading fake narratives about unemployment", the Congress has hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of weaving a "web of lies".
"Mr Narendra Modi, In Mumbai yesterday, you were weaving a web of lies on giving out jobs. I would like to remind you what you said while announcing the National Recruitment Agency (NRA). In August 2020, you had said, 'NRA would prove to be a boon for crores of youngsters. This general eligibility exam would remove the need for multiple exams and save time and resources. It will also boost transparency'," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, quoting the Prime Minister.
He then asked three questions: "Why has NRA not conducted a single exam in four years? Why it has spent just Rs 58 crore of the Rs 1,517 crore fund allocated? NRA was set up for recruitment to government jobs. Has it been kept dysfunctional deliberately to snatch the reservation rights of youngsters from SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities," the Congress chief asked in a post on X.
Referring to row surrounding question paper leak of multiple competitive exams, Mr Kharge said, "NTA (National Testing Agency) was used to manipulate exams and leak papers, and no exam was conducted by NRA. BJP-RSS have vowed to destroy the education system and finish the future of youngsters. We raised the issue of NRA earlier too, but the Modi government has taken a vow of silence."
The Congress president's offensive comes a day after the Prime Minister pointed to a Reserve Bank of India report that said India added nearly 4.7 crore jobs during 2023-24
At an event in Mumbai during which he launched infrastructure projects worth Rs 29,000 crore, the Prime Minister took a swipe at Opposition parties, who had played up the unemployment issue in their campaign for the recently held general election.
"This figure has silenced those spreading fake narrative on jobs. Those who spread fake narratives are enemies of investment, infrastructure development and enemies of the country's growth. Their every policy is about betraying youth and stall employment. Now they are getting exposed as people are rejecting their lies," the Prime Minister said.