'Modi govt doesn't want to accept there is a job crisis'

New Delhi: Hitting out at the Narendra Modi Government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the Centre "did not want to accept" there was a "job crisis" in the country, and urged the PM to hold discussions with the youth to address the matter. "Youngsters of this country are the ones who are actually capable of moving it towards progress," he said during an interaction with students of Delhi University at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the capital.

Citing the figures given by the Ministry of Finance to the Lok Sabha, the Congress chief said, "In a county of over 1.2 billion people, India is creating about 450 jobs per 24 hours while China is creating 50,000 jobs in the same 24 hours."

"Our current government does not even want to accept that there is an employment crisis. We need to first acknowledge that there is a problem, and then we need to galvanise support to fight it. That is what we (Congress) believe in," Gandhi said.

Reiterating the issue of "martyr" status to paramilitary jawans, Gandhi said that the Congress would provide the status of "martyr" to those paramilitary jawans killed in the line of duty if the party is voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

"Paramilitary forces don't get martyr's status when they lay down their lives. If we form the government, we will give the status of martyrs to those paramilitary soldiers who lay down their lives in the line of duty," Rahul said while addressing the students.

At least 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in the worst-ever terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14. Earlier this week, Gandhi had met the family of one of the CRPF jawans in UP's Shamli district.