'BJP pushing Haryana youth to Dunki': Rahul Gandhi tears into Modi-led BJP over unemployment issue in poll-bound state

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and specifically on PM Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, accusing the ruling party of committing "grave injustice" to the youth of the country, particularly in Haryana. He claimed the BJP's failure to provide adequate employment opportunities has pushed young Indians into a "journey of torture" as they seek work abroad.

Sharing a video on social media from his recent interaction in the US, Rahul Gandhi highlighted the plight of immigrants from Haryana. He pointed out that many youth from the state have been forced to migrate to the US due to unemployment in their home state, only to face significant hardships abroad.

In a post accompanying the video on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi asked, “Why did the youth of Haryana turn to Dunki?” The term "Dunki" refers to the illegal immigration technique known as ‘donkey flights,’ which has gained wider recognition following the release of a film by Rajkumar Hirani starring Shah Rukh Khan last year.

“Lakhs of families are paying the price of the ‘disease of unemployment’ spread by the BJP by being away from their loved ones,” Gandhi remarked in his post.

The Congress leader, while interacting with Haryana's youth in the US, had emphasized how the lack of jobs in India has deprived children of their fathers' support and left elderly family members without necessary care. Gandhi shared that when he met families of these immigrants back in India, their eyes "filled with pain" over the loss of their loved ones to foreign lands.

"In 10 years, the BJP has done a grave injustice to the youth of the country, including Haryana, by snatching employment opportunities from them," Gandhi asserted. He added that this crisis has led to broken trust, forcing the youth to undertake an agonizing journey away from home in search of work.

“If these migratory birds, separated from their nests, were given the chance to earn a living in their own country, among their loved ones, they would never leave their homeland,” he said, underscoring the need to provide opportunities at home.

Rahul Gandhi further pledged that once the Congress forms a government in Haryana, they would create a system where the youth would not have to leave their families and country to chase their dreams. His message signals a sharp focus on employment in the state as part of the Congress party's larger strategy ahead of the October 5 Haryana polls.

The video posted by Gandhi shows his conversation with youth from Haryana in the US, where they expressed their fear of deportation. They explained how unemployment forced them to migrate, with many sharing the deep challenges they face in a foreign country.

Additionally, the video captures Gandhi's visit to the family of an injured immigrant, who was involved in a road accident in the US. The family revealed their distress at being separated from their loved one due to the pursuit of better opportunities abroad.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi visited a village in Karnal district, Haryana, to meet the family of the young man injured in the accident. His continued focus on the struggles of immigrants and unemployed youth comes as the Congress party highlights farmers' issues and unemployment in its campaign to unseat the ruling BJP in Haryana.