As Haryana gears up for the October 5 elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has intensified his attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of depriving the youth of employment opportunities. On Tuesday, Gandhi shared a video from his recent interaction with immigrants from Haryana during his visit to the United States, drawing attention to the struggles faced by those forced to seek work abroad due to unemployment in their home state.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi said, ?Why did the youth of Haryana turn to Dunki?? referring to the illegal immigration route known as ?donkey flights.? This term gained popularity after a 2023 Bollywood film starring Shah Rukh Khan, which focused on illegal migration.
The Congress leader?s criticism centers on how unemployment has driven young people to undertake dangerous and often illegal journeys abroad, separating them from their families. ?Lakhs of families are paying the price of the ?disease of unemployment? spread by the BJP by being away from their loved ones,? Gandhi said.
During his U.S. visit, Gandhi interacted with several immigrants from Haryana who spoke of the challenges they face in foreign countries. Many cited deportation as their biggest fear, while also sharing how the lack of opportunities in Haryana had forced them to leave their homeland. ?During my visit to America, I met those youngsters from Haryana who are struggling in a foreign country, away from their families,? Gandhi stated in his post.
Gandhi also shared an emotional moment from his trip when he visited the family of an immigrant injured in a road accident in the U.S. Upon his return to India, he met their family members in Haryana, who, he said, were filled with pain. ?The lack of opportunities has deprived children of their fathers' support and the elderly of the care they need in their old age,? he added.
?In 10 years, the BJP has done a grave injustice to the youth of the country, including in Haryana, by snatching employment opportunities from them,? Gandhi said, accusing the government of failing to address the core issue of unemployment. He further claimed that young people, defeated and with broken trust, were forced to embark on a ?journey of torture? abroad in search of work.
?If these migratory birds, separated from their nests, get a chance to earn a living in their own country, among their loved ones, they will never leave their homeland,? Gandhi emphasized. He vowed that once the Congress comes to power in Haryana, they will build a system that ensures young people can secure employment without having to leave their families behind.
With the state elections approaching, Congress is making unemployment and farmer-related issues the key pillars of its campaign against the BJP. Gandhi?s remarks come at a time when the Congress is looking to capitalize on growing discontent among the youth and rural communities, as the party seeks to reclaim power in Haryana after a decade-long BJP rule.
