Congress targets Modi government on price rise, 'ravaging’ the pathway from education to employment

The Congress party accused the Narendra Modi government of exacerbating unemployment and soaring prices, effectively "completely ravaging" the pathway for young Indians from education to employment. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge cited a NITI Aayog report indicating that 8.7 crore individuals aged 15 to 29 years are neither in education, employment, nor receiving training.

Unemployment among young people was reported at 15.6%, with young women facing an even higher rate of 19.5%, according to the July 2026 Periodic Labour Force Survey. Kharge questioned the government's promise to create two crore jobs annually, noting that based on this projection, 24 crore jobs should have been generated over a 12-year period.

He also highlighted that a significant number of government positions remained unfilled, with secure employment being increasingly supplanted by contractual and part-time work arrangements. Kharge alleged that lakhs of government posts went vacant while employment opportunities became more precarious. He pointed to factors such as expensive and inadequate education, data leaks, delayed recruitment, a widening skills gap, and the diminishing availability of quality jobs, all of which posed a severe threat to the future of an entire generation.

The Congress chief alleged that the government's assurances to achieve what previous administrations failed to accomplish in 70 years were now being proven to have contributed to a system of education that is more costly, rife with RSS influence, examinations that Indians cannot trust, and degrees that increasingly lead to unemployment.

The NITI Aayog's Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047 report, based on data from the 78th National Sample Survey conducted in 2021, recommended subsidized training programs to promote self-employment and align skills with local demands and emerging sectors. The Congress also criticized the government for the rising costs of essential commodities.

Communications chief Jairam Ramesh cited a media report on a sharp increase in onion prices, with prices in Nashik having surged by around 76% within a month and wholesale rates doubling in some states. He noted that after sugar, onions were also becoming unaffordable for the common man. Ramesh also highlighted that the government's buffer stock of essential items like milk, oil, fruits, and other staples was depleted, contributing to the financial burden on households.

He questioned the Modi government's claim of ushering in a period of prosperity, asking how the poor and middle class were expected to manage without adequate support.