Nitish hits back at Tejashwi's promise of 10 lakh govt jobs

New Delhi: Taking a jibe at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's promise to provide 10 lakh jobs if elected to power, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that those who could not even hold a Cabinet meeting properly during their reign are now talking about sanctioning lakhs of government jobs at the very first Cabinet meeting.

Yadav, the CM face of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, has made joblessness in Bihar an election issue. During a recent press conference held in Patna, Yadav promised to approve "around 10 lakh jobs in the first cabinet. These jobs would be government employment and permanent. There will be advertisements and in a time-bound manner, the appointments would be made."

Yadav has repeatedly criticised the government over the state's 46.6 per cent unemployment rate, which is one of the highest in the country, and created a job portal, in which he claims to have received applications from 22.58 lakh Bihar residents.

Virtually addressing party workers and voters of 11 assembly constituencies that will go to vote in the first phase on October 28, Kumar, who is Janata Dal (United)'s president, said, "What is it that they say? We will hold a Cabinet meeting and approve 10 lakh jobs. In their time, they could not even hold a Cabinet meeting, let alone the question of getting any work done."

Kumar wondered whether any government in the world could generate limitless employment for its people.