NEW DELHI: In a counter to the government’s white paper, the Congress on Thursday released a ‘black paper’, also of 54 pages, highlighting what it termed the social, economic, and political ‘injustices’ committed by the Narendra Modi government in its 10-year rule. Titled 10 Saal Anyay Kal and released by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the document claims that in the past 10 years, the Modi government has “devastated the country’s economy, aggravated unemployment, destroyed the agricultural sector, abetted crimes against women, and committed grave injustices against minorities”.
The document said the BJP rule has witnessed the highest unemployment rate in 45 years. “Total unemployment was 1 crore in 2012 but it rose to about 4 crore in 2022. 10 lakh sanctioned central government posts remain unfilled. The unemployment rate for graduates and postgraduates is about 33%. This is why engineers are becoming coolies and PhDs are applying for railway jobs,” it said.
It added that the Modi government’s tenure has seen an unprecedented reduction in incomes. “The NSSO data that the PM suppressed shows consumer spending falling for the first time since 1973, from `1,501 in 2011-12 to `1,446 in 2017-18.” It said prices of essential commodities are at all-time high. “Blunders like demonetisation and a poorly-designed GST completely derailed the economy and destroyed job-generating small businesses.”
Farmers were promised double income, but got pathetic MSP increases and three farm laws were railroaded through Parliament to enrich the PM’s corporate cronies, it added.
Crimes against SC and ST communities shot up 48% in 2022 compared to 2013, the document added.