The Odisha unit of the Youth Congress on Tuesday staged a massive demonstration at lower PMG here to highlight the issue of unemployment among the youths in the State. Youth Congress members blamed both the BJD Government in the State and the BJP Government at the Centre for poverty and unemployment in Odisha.
The rally was named Yuba Adhikar Samavesh.
Addressing the demonstrators, Youth Congress national president Amarinder Singh Raja Brar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing nothing for the youths and, instead, he is doing politics over poverty in Odisha. He lambasted Modi for making derogatory remarks during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh on Odisha’s poverty and illiteracy which have created widespread resentment.
“Prime MinisterNarendra Modi stayed here for two days but said nothing for the progress of the State, especially employment in the State. He had announced during the last general elections that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, he would provide two crore of jobs per year, but how many unemployed youths have got employment on the completion of three years of his rule,” asked Brar.
Earlier, more than a thousand Youth Congress activists took out a procession demanding employment to Odisha’s lakhs of jobless youths who are being forced to leave for other States in search of livelihood.
Pradesh Youth Congress president loknath Maharathy led the agitators, who shouted slogans against the Naveen Patnaik Government. "How can someone who does not know our mother tongue understand the plight of the young unemployed people,” wondered former PCC president Sarat Pattanayak.
"Naveen Patnaik has cheated youths. The Youth Congress is committed and fully prepared to prevent him from attending any programme in the State for his Government's apathetic attitude towards youths,” said Youth Congress leader Sangram Jena.
Among others, PCC president Prasad Harichandan, Pradesh Mahila Congress president Sasmita Behera, former MP Pradeep Majhi and many other senior party leaders addressed the rally.
However, party MlAs and former PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik were conspicuous by their absence. When the agitators tried to march towards Mahatma Gandhi Marg by breaking the barricades, a scuffle ensued between them and police personnel. later, the police detained a number of Youth Congress activists.