Rahul Gandhi slams Modi govt for ignoring unemployment, calls for focus on youth

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New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday took aim at the Modi government’s economic policies in the Lok Sabha, criticising the decline in manufacturing and the persistent unemployment crisis. Speaking during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, he argued that while past governments had managed consumption well, they had failed in organising production.
In a rare acknowledgment, Gandhi praised the ‘Make in India’ programme, calling it a ‘good idea’ directionally but dismissed it as a ‘damp squib’ due to its lack of tangible results. "I am not blaming the Prime Minister. It would be wrong to say he didn’t try. I could say that he tried but failed,” Gandhi remarked, pointing out that manufacturing has fallen from 15.3% of GDP in 2014 to 12.6%, the lowest in 60 years.
Gandhi linked the unemployment crisis to rising social unrest, arguing that the increasing prison population, escalating police budgets, and greater spending on internal security reflect mounting tensions across the country. “Both the UPA and the NDA have failed to offer a solution to joblessness,” he admitted.
Addressing policymakers, Gandhi stressed the need to better organise production, criticising successive governments for focusing primarily on consumption. “Since 1990, every government has done a decent job in organising consumption or services, but production and manufacturing have lagged.”
Shifting focus to future technologies, Gandhi highlighted the ‘revolutionary battle’ between electric motors and internal combustion engines, listing four key technologies shaping the future: Electric motors, batteries, optics and artificial intelligence (AI).
He warned that India risks falling behind in this global transformation, noting that China dominates production data, while the US controls consumption data. "AI on its own is nothing without data," he explained, urging India to invest in production networks and educate children in emerging technologies to secure a competitive edge. “The answer is nothing—India does not have any form of data,” he cautioned, adding that China has at least a 10-year lead in these critical areas.
Gandhi also criticised the President’s address, calling it a repetitive list of government achievements that lacked new ideas. He offered to present a blueprint of an alternate address that an INDIA bloc government would deliver if elected.
The Lok Sabha session also saw protests from opposition MPs, led by Congress, demanding a discussion on the Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj. They stormed the Well of the House, raising slogans and demanding a list of the deceased. Speaker Om Birla urged them to raise the issue during the debate on the Motion of Thanks, while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned the disruption, calling for a peaceful Question Hour.
Opposition MPs, including those from Congress, DMK, TMC, and SP, staged a brief walkout after the Question Hour, only to return later.