Rahul Gandhi assures filling 30 lakh vacant Central govt jobs

Tirunelveli: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday assured a legislation to provide apprenticeship to young people and filling 30 lakh vacant government jobs.

Addressing his first election rally in Tamil Nadu, Rahul Gandhi said if the INDIA bloc is voted to power at the Centre, "drastic action" will be taken to provide employment opportunities to the young people.

There are 30 lakh vacant jobs in the government and these jobs will be provided to young people, he said and added that in order to benefit all the graduates and diploma holders a law--Right to Apprenticeship-- will be passed in the Parliament.

Slamming the BJP, Gandhi alleged the Saffron party MPs openly stated that "they are going to change the Constitution" if they retained power at the Centre.

While the rest of the world earlier looked at India as a beacon of democracy; now it is of the view that India's democracy is no longer a democracy, the former Congress president alleged.

Attacking PM Modi, he said: "The only thing Modi cares about is "having a monopoly on finances and the communication system (seen as reference to media) of this country." He said the nation today faced an ideological battle. On the one side is the ideology of social justice, freedom and equality, championed by icons such as reformist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy and on the other side are the ideas of RSS and PM Narendra Modi and his government.

Gandhi alleged Modi stood for "one nation, one leader and one language." Gandhi said he really loved visiting Tamil Nadu and loved the people of the state. He praised Tamil culture, history and language as the "biggest teacher." Hailing leaders of Tamil Nadu, including Periyar, CN Annadurai, Kamaraj and M Karunanidhi, he said: "You have shown the rest of the country how to walk on the path of social justice." Hence, when it was decided by the Congress party to conduct the Bharat Jodo Yatra it was launched in Tamil Nadu, he said.