Even as the country is grappling a major economic slowdown and the unemployment rate is at a 45-year high, which is confirmed by the Labour Ministry data, there seems to be a mode of denial, or simply passing the buck for the sorry state of affairs among the ruling brass.

According to Santosh Gangwar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bareilly Lok Sabha Constituency and Minister of State of Labour and Employment, there is no shortage of jobs in India but there are no qualified candidates to fill the vacancies, hence the meltdown in the job market and rising unemployment in the country is caused by a lack of qualified candidates, especially in North India.

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He said that the companies that are recruiting in North India have shared with him that they are unable to find candidates who have the required set of skills and qualifications and that is why there are so many jobless youths.

Talking at his constituency Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Santosh Gangwar rubbished the reports about the current employment situation in the country while emphasizing that there were plenty of jobs available and that apart from the employment offices, his Ministry has also been monitoring the situation.

Reacting to the comments of Gangwar, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav said that he was mocking the youth of the country and his statement has added insult to injury. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari also sought an apology from the Modi government for the minister’s statement. “On one hand, people are losing jobs and on the other, new jobs are not being created. Instead of addressing the issues, the minister blames the youth of being incapable of getting jobs,” he said.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi also derided Santosh Gangwar as she took to Twitter and said, “Mantri ji you have been running the government for more than five years. No jobs were generated. A few jobs in the market left too were taken away due to the economic slowdown this government has brought. Youth are waiting for the government to do some good. You cannot insult North Indians and get away. This will not work.”

मंत्रीजी, 5 साल से ज्यादा आपकी सरकार है। नौकरियाँ पैदा नहीं हुईं। जो नौकरियाँ थीं वो सरकार द्वारा लाई आर्थिक मंदी के चलते छिन रही हैं। नौजवान रास्ता देख रहे हैं कि सरकार कुछ अच्छा करे।

आप उत्तर भारतीयों का अपमान करके बच निकलना चाहते हैं। ये नहीं चलेगा।https://t.co/2f9ZhGmVoT

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) September 15, 2019