Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has highlighted the issue of unemployment, claiming it to be the biggest problem in the country. He pointed out that the youth’s condition is quite grim, owing to the lack of adequate employment opportunities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was criticized for his administration’s alleged role in escalating the unemployment issue, according to Mr. Kharge. He used data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to underscore his point and questioned the government efforts towards job generation.

Mr. Kharge challenged Prime Minister Modi over the youth unemployment rate, which he claimed stood at an alarming 10.2% in 2023-24. He also questioned the declining rate of women in salaried jobs, which he said was at a seven-year low of just 15.9 percent.

The subject of rural unemployment and the increase of women engaged in unpaid labor in rural areas from 51.9% (2017-18) to 67.4% (2023-24) was also tackled. In addition, Kharge criticized the government for not boosting employment in the manufacturing sector over the past seven years.

In concluding, Kharge warned Prime Minister Modi that the youth whose employment opportunities have been hampered by the government will ensure the defeat of BJP in every election.