Bandh meant to oppose govt's 'anti-worker, anti-farmer' policies: Cong

NT Corespondent 

Bengaluru: AICC General Sec retary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday said the na tionwide strike called by 10 central trade unions, with the backing of over 25 crore workers and farm ers, is aimed at opposing the Modi government's alleged anti-worker and anti-farmer policies.

Urging the BJP-led gov ernment at the centre to open their eyes and see the problems faced by the people, he accused it of shutting down develop ment, taking away jobs, and creating economic unrest in the country.

"The BJP government has failed to provide adequate employment, with over 30 lakh vacancies lying unfilled across vari ous departments of the Government of India and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). For instance, the armed forces have around 1.55 lakh vacancies. The Railway has more than 2.5 lakh vacant positions.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), including CRPF, BSF, and ITBP, have over 85,000 vacancies," Surjewala said. "Why is the government refusing to fill these 30 lakh vacancies, despite the ris ing unemployment and the urgent need for public service personnel?" he asked.

He noted that unemploy ment in India has reached alarming levels, with the current rate at 7.5 percent, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).