In US, Rahul slams govt over jobs; BJP says he is ‘tarnishing India’s image’ – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Picking up where he left off before the 2024 elections, Rahul Gandhi has again attacked the Modi government during a foreign tour, blaming the government for unemployment, the growing influence of the RSS and the San-gh’s allegedly regressive views on women.
The remarks, which were part of a discussion at the University of Texas, drew fierce reactions from the BJP, which called the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha a “black spot” on Indian democracy and “tarnishing India’s image abroad”.
Talking to students in the US, when asked about the employment issue, Rahul said that the US was the manufacturing hub till the 1960s, after which jobs moved to Korea, Japan and China, and now China dominates global manufacturing. “You go to India, you look at the phones, you look at the furniture, you look at the clothes… you will see ‘Made in China’, that’s a fact,” he said, adding that America, Europe and India had given up the idea of ​​manufacturing creating jobs and handed it over to China. tnn
Rahul Gandhi said that Bangladesh had also overtaken India in textile production. Rahul warned that a continued decline in production would create huge social problems and “polarisation of our politics is the reason for this”.
Giving his ideas on increasing women’s participation in the workforce, Rahul said, “This is also part of the ideological battle between the BJP and us. The BJP and RSS believe that women should be restricted to a particular role. They should stay at home, they should cook, they should not talk too much and we believe that women should have the freedom to pursue whatever they want to do.”
Rahul weakens India, supports China: BJP; Congress hits back
The BJP criticised Rahul for his remarks on RSS and ‘India vs China’ on manufacturing. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Rahul was the leader of the opposition and was answerable to the country but “he has gone abroad and spoiled the image of the country, which is a crime tantamount to treason”.
“No patriot does such a thing but it seems Rahul has got frustrated after Congress lost three times in a row and he is taking out his frustration on America by tarnishing the country’s image,” he added.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said Rahul “could not utter a single word against China, he is weakening India… he is standing with China”. He linked it to a “party-to-party MoU with China” that the Congress has signed.
Asked about the BJP’s attack on Rahul, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, “He (Rahul) has never insulted India and will never do so. That is our promise. But the BJP needs an excuse to raise such issues.”