Hooda slams BJP over rising unemployment in Haryana
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has criticised the BJP government over rising unemployment, claiming that even highly educated youth are being forced to apply for low-paying jobs such as peons, gardeners and watchmen.
Citing recent figures, Hooda said, “The desperation among Haryana’s youth is alarming. They are now forced to take temporary jobs as peons due to the government’s failure to provide adequate employment opportunities.”
Reacting to reports of 7,616 candidates applying for just 13 peon posts in Jhajjar, Hooda pointed out that many of these applicants hold degrees such as BA, B Ed and MA.
“Such news repeatedly confirms that Haryana ranks number one in unemployment. The BJP government has no solution to this crisis,” he stated. “This government has pushed the youth towards unemployment, crime, drugs and illegal migration (‘donkey’ route).”
Highlighting a similar situation in Sirsa, he said 5,700 candidates, including graduates, postgraduates and even PhD holders, applied for just 13 peon and chowkidar positions in the local court. “These jobs required only an 8th-grade qualification, yet applicants included BTech, BCom, BPharma, MBA, MSc, MPhil and MCA degree holders.”
Hooda further revealed that through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, 39,990 graduates and 6,112 postgraduates applied for sweeper jobs, alongside 1.17 lakh 12th-pass candidates, totalling nearly 4 lakh applicants.
“The situation is grim. For just six peon posts in Panipat court, 10,000 candidates applied, including BA, MA, MPhil, PhD, BTech and MTech holders. Similarly, 18 lakh youth applied for 18,000 Group-D recruitments by HSSC and 25 lakh candidates applied for 6,000 clerk posts,” he added.
Citing data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Hooda noted that Haryana’s unemployment rate has jumped from 2.9% in 2013-14 (during Congress rule) to 9% under the BJP.
“More than 2 lakh government posts remain vacant, yet the BJP government is not recruiting. Additionally, private investment has dried up, stopping employment generation in the private sector. Before 2014, under Congress, Haryana led the country in per capita investment,” he said.
Hooda lamented that Haryana’s youth are now leaving the state or migrating abroad in search of jobs. “Under Congress, coaching centres for job preparation were everywhere. Today, immigration offices have taken over, yet even those going abroad face uncertainty. It’s disheartening that Haryana had the highest number of deportees from the US recently,” he said.
