Youth of Bihar no longer want speeches, but employment: Rahul Gandhi

Business Standard

4 days ago

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday criticised the Nitish Kumar-led BJP government in Bihar, stating that the state's youth no longer want speeches but employment opportunities to secure their future.
His remarks came a day after a large crowd gathered at the Maharozgaar Mela (mega employment fair) organised by the Youth Congress in Patna.
"The massive crowd at the Mahrozgar Mela is not just a gathering but a message--that the youth of Bihar no longer want speeches, but employment to shape their future. The way the BJP and Nitish government have plunged Bihar into the fire of unemployment, lakhs of youths are forced to migrate for livelihood, leaving behind their village, their family... everything," said Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi, in a post on X.
Emphasising the importance of local job opportunities, Gandhi added that the Congress and the INDIA alliance were focused on finding solutions rather than making empty promises.
"The youth of Bihar are hardworking, capable, and talented--they only need local and respectable employment. Now, the beginning of change has arrived. Congress and the INDIA alliance are not just bringing promises, but solutions. Our focus is clear--rights to skills, employment for every youth, stopping migration, keeping every family together," he said.
The Youth Congress also posted on X, saying that the turnout at the employment fair reflected the seriousness of the state's unemployment crisis. "After Jaipur and Delhi, this was another effort of ours so that qualified youths could get job opportunities through the employment fair," it said.
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently announced several measures to address public welfare and job creation. On Friday, Kumar said that electricity would be provided free of charge across Bihar. He also mentioned that the government had approved Rs 50,000 crore for 430 new schemes to benefit the people.
"During the previous government's tenure, there was no electricity. There was electricity for only eight hours, even in Patna. We managed all of it. Consumers used to pay a significant amount of money for their electricity bills. We have decided that electricity will be provided for free. We will hold a cabinet meeting and will decide on the same today itself," Kumar said, while addressing a gathering in Motihari in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He further promised, "We have already given 10 lakh government jobs to youth and are working to provide more. In the coming five years, we will decide on providing jobs to one crore youth."
Kumar also announced that the state government would increase the pension amount for differently abled persons, senior citizens, and widows to Rs 1,100 per month.