Mangaluru: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 70 on September 17 and a majority of the people on Twitter lauded him for his efforts in curbing the spread of COVID-19 across the country, handling the India-China situation, and other things. Even the WHO recently praised PM Modi’s timely and tough decisions in view of the coronavirus pandemic and said that India is in a better position than other advanced nations. However, a certain segment of netizens marked September 17 as National Unemployment Day and #NationalUnemploymentDay and #RashtriyaBerojgarDiwas began trending on the PM’s birthday.
The hashtags were a protest against the high unemployment rates in the country and the government’s failure to create jobs and provide employment.
In Mangaluru, while the BJP leaders and volunteers were distributing sweets to celebrate PM Modi’s birthday, members of the Dakshina Kannada chapter of the National Students Union of India’s (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, observed September 17 as ‘National Unemployment Day’ and sat in front of the Congress office in Mallikatta, selling pakodas.
Speaking on the occasion, State General secretary Farooq Bayabe and NSUI district general-secretary Sawad Sullia said, “Before and after the elections, PM Modi had promised to generate 12 crore jobs. However, presently, we are facing a situation where 2.5 crore jobs have been lost. That is why we are celebrating PM Modi’s birthday as ‘National Unemployment Day’ in an innovative and unique way by selling pakodas. The way in which the lockdown was imposed by the Central government caused all sections of society to be affected. Lakhs of jobs have been lost and IT professionals, doctors, engineers, graduates, and scientists are out of jobs. They are forced to sell pakodas, vegetables, fruits etc.”
Farooq and Sawad lamented that the Central Government has not taken any interest in implementing useful schemes for students. Even though Dakshina Kannada is known as an educational hub, students are migrating to the Gulf or other foreign countries in search of jobs and for better opportunities, as there are no jobs available here, they said adding that the elected BJP leaders in Dakshina Kannada, including MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, have failed to bring IT companies to the district to generate employment.
Anvith Kateel, Shounak Rai, Vinay Kumar, and other members of the NSUI were present.
