Reports citing National Sample Survey Organisation’s (NSSO) data — which seemed to suggest that the current unemployment rate is the highest in the last 45 years — put the Centre in a tight spot on Thursday. The Opposition parties criticised the policies of the Centre and said measures such as demonetisation and an “ill-planned” GST have slowed down the growth in the country.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi said it’s time for the Narendra Modi Government to go. “The Fuhrer promised us two crore jobs a year. Five years later, his leaked report card of job creation reveals a national disaster. Unemployment is at its highest in 45 years. Nearly, 6.5 crore youth are jobless in 2017-18 alone. Time for NoMo2Go,” the Amethi MP tweeted.

The BJP, responding to the charges, said it’s clear that Rahul Gandhi has inherited Mussolini’s short-sightedness and has myopic understanding of issues. “EPFO’s real data show sharp increase in jobs, created in the last 15 months alone. Only a man who hasn’t ever held a proper job and is totally jobless can peddle such fake news,” the ruling party said in a tweet.

Joining the issue, Congress’ Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said even the President’s address stated that the promise of 10 crore jobs in five years is not fulfilled. “Narendra Modi government had promised to enrol 10 crore candidates in Kaushal Vikas Yojana. The President’s address today (Thursday) states that only one crore were enrolled. Almost 90 per cent of the work is still incomplete,” Sharma told reporters at a press conference here on Thursday.

Sharma also said: “The investment rate too has gone down by 7 per cent. The President failed to mention this in his address. Unfortunately, the President said demonetisation is a major achievement and black money was destroyed. But, barely 0.01% of the currency didn’t come back into the system, whereas the entire country suffered because of the move.”

‘Youth getting wasted’

The Left parties said the Centre withheld the publication of NSSO data as unemployment has reached a four-decade high.

“This suppression of data is a clear admission on the part of the government that its policies have resulted in greater misery for our people. India’s youth, which is our asset, is now being wasted,” the statement said, and urged the Centre to release the data immediately. “These must be placed and discussed in Parliament. The people of the country have a right to know about the grim realities facing them,” it added.

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