PM has forced youth to walk on 'Agnipath' of unemployment: Rahul

NEW DELHI: Amid widespread protests against the new military recruitment scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said by repeatedly giving false hope for jobs, he has forced the youth to walk on 'Agnipath' of unemployment. He also said 16 crore jobs were to be given in eight years, but the youth only got knowledge on ''frying pakoras''.

His attack came on a day Congress MPs and top leaders, including general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, sat on a ''Satyagraha'' at the Jantar Mantar in solidarity with the youths protesting against the Agnipath scheme.

''By repeatedly giving false hope of jobs, the prime minister has forced the youth of the country to walk on the 'Agnipath' of unemployment,'' Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

''In 8 years, 16 crore jobs were to be given but the youth only got knowledge on frying pakoras,'' the former Congress chief said.

Only the prime minister is responsible for this condition of the country, he added.

Gandhi has appealed to party leaders and workers not to celebrate his birthday on Sunday. In a message to them, he said Saturday night that the youngsters of the country were anguished and protesting on the streets and the Congress workers should stand with them.

The Centre on Saturday announced several incentives, including a 10 percent reservation in vacancies in the defense ministry and paramilitary forces, for Agnipath retirees as it tried to defuse the violent protests that raged on against the new military recruitment scheme in many states, and the opposition parties stepped up pressure for its withdrawal.