The Congress on Monday said the Rozgar Mela was a “gimmick” as a public spectacle was being whipped up around existing posts and even promotions since Prime Minister Narendra Modi had completely failed in generating new employment opportunities.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: “After promising two crore jobs every year, the Prime Minister is distributing a few thousand appointment letters like EMI — ‘Empty Manipulative Instalments’. He will distribute appointment letters even today. Reports suggest that these jobs include people who have been promoted. For example, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) provided information that they recruited 15 people in April this year and gave promotion to 21. These people were given appointment letters at the Rozgar Mela.”

Kharge added: “The Maulana Azad National Urdu University said in its reply in April 2023 that 38 people got appointment letters which includes 18 who got promotion. Modiji, if you had any concern about the future of the youth, you would not have played with their aspirations by participating in such PR stunts. The youth of the country have now seen through the BJP’s lies, gimmicks and betrayal. They will kick out the Modi government in 2024.”

Modi, while addressing the Rozgar Mela over video in which 51,000 appointment letters were distributed on Monday, chose to talk about national pride because of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and his guarantee of India becoming the third largest economy in the world.

The Prime Minister called those who were recruited on Monday “Amrit Rakshak” because they would protect the country in Amrit
Kaal. Most of the recruits were in police and paramilitary forces. He avoided dwelling
on the scourge of unemployment.

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said: “After failing to fulfil his grand promise of creating two crore jobs per year, after destroying the MSME sector with demonetisation, a badly designed GST and an ill-planned sudden lockdown, after betraying the hope of aspirational youth for more than nine years, the Prime Minister is feeling the heat in an election year. To save his flailing image, he has come up with one of the biggest jumlas — the PM Rozgar Mela.”

Ramesh added: “1. The jobs are already sanctioned posts that have not been filled up for years due to some administrative or financial reason. 2. In a very large number of instances, appointment letters are being handed out by the Prime Minister even in cases of promotion. 3. The Mela personalises employment in the government sector as if the Prime Minister is singularly responsible for mostly routine job offers.

“Job creation comes from economic growth that is driven by investments. The PM Rozgar Mela is a gimmick and is yet another proof of a gigantic ego, enormous vanity, unbounded self-obsession and the refusal to accept responsibility for the dire unemployment situation.”