Can’t blame ex-PMs for not creating 10cr jobs: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: After a brief lull, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has resumed slamming the BJP government saying that the blame cannot be pinned on Congress Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi for not creating 10 crore jobs.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana Monday, the Sena targeted the BJP government over rising unemployment and the economic slowdown, saying that engaging in ‘mere wordplay’ was not going to solve any problem.

“The economy is in the doldrums and the new Union finance minister will have to find some solution," the Sena said. Ambitious projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and the Reliance-Dassault factory in Nagpur had little scope for generating employment, it said.

“Crores of unemployed youth trusted the 'Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai' (with Modi at the helm, it is possible) mantra and voted for him. The continued decline in job creation should be stopped and job creation should be the motto of the government for the next five years,” the Sena said.

“New industries, ports, road construction, airports and transport need investment, which will generate employment and eventually boost GDP growth,” it said.

The Sena's attack came after official data released said that India's economic growth rate had slowed down to a five-year low of 5.8 per cent in January-March 2018-19 due to poor performance in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. The Central Statistics Office also revealed that GDP growth during the 2018-19 fiscal stood at 6.8 per cent, compared to 7.2 per cent in the previous financial year.