Rahul Gandhi & Priyanka Gandhi launch Uttar Pradesh's Youth Manifesto at Congress headquarters in Delhi.
The Congress today promised a new vision for Uttar Pradesh, promising employment and development, as it released its vision document for the youth ahead of the assembly elections in India's most populous state. The vision document is "not hollow words" but has been drafted after consulting youth whose views are reflected in it, the party said.
"Our understanding and our belief is that India needs a new vision. For new vision of India, you start from Uttar Pradesh," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said.
Addressing a press conference at the launch of the 'youth manifesto' called 'Bharti Vidhan', Mr Gandhi said only the party can give a new vision to the youth in the state.
"Forget job creation, today the youth has lost jobs. This is because all the work is being given to 2-3 industrialists. So, the Congress has decided after speaking to the youth of UP, as to how we can create jobs for you," Mr Gandhi said while releasing the vision document with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at party headquarters in Delhi.
In her remarks, party leader Priyanka Gandhi said the biggest problem in the state is recruitment and the youth are disappointed.
"We have seen the difficulties they face and what their problems are. All political parties just come and promise jobs - 25 lakh jobs, 30 lakh jobs - but no one explains in detail how they will do it. The Congress has done so in this youth manifesto," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party's general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, said.
"Today the youth in UP is facing immense difficulty in getting jobs. They are qualified and unemployed. We aim to help them get the employment they want and need," she said.
"Not just that, we are also focussing on the problems being faced by the youth during examinations. We aim to find a solution for these problems. Keeping in mind the examinations and schedules, we aim to make a job calendar. This is a very important thing and is much needed. We also aim to organise a youth festival annually in Uttar Pradesh," she said.
The vision that the BJP had proposed in 2014 is a "complete disaster", Rahul Gandhi said.
"The demographic dividend that India has is being turned by them into a demographic disaster. Even some in the BJP agree that something has gone very wrong," Mr Gandhi said.
She said her party in UP wants the focus to be on development and not on negative propaganda based on caste or communalism that is going around.
"We don't spread hatred, we unite people and we want to create a new Uttar Pradesh with the strength of youth," Rahul Gandhi added.
This is one of the rare occasions when both leaders of the Congress Party jointly addressed the media.
The Congress, which has been reduced to a virtual non-player in Uttar Pradesh over the past years, is going to the polls with youth and women in focus. The party has announced that it will reserve 40 per cent of tickets for women in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in seven phases between February 10 and March 7, with results being declared on March 10.