New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hit back at the government over the issue of unemployment, saying that the youth of the country have been cheated by the BJP as it has only taken away jobs from them year after year.

In a post on X, Kharge said, “The Modi government has increased unemployment among the youth of the country the most since Independence. There is no youth who has not been cheated by the BJP. All the statistics show that far from providing two crore jobs annually, the Modi government has only taken away jobs from the youth year after year."

He added that in the last three years alone, 31 lakh people have lost their jobs, of which 26 lakh are women.

Kharge also said that 32.06 crore people in the country do not have jobs. Women's participation in jobs and better employment has come down to only 10 per cent while 42.3 per cent of graduates under 25 were unemployed in 2021-22, he claimed.

"There has been a 17.5 per cent decline in jobs for gig workers in the last one year. I saved every penny and studied, but did not get the opportunity of recruitment. Broken hopes, shattered dreams, ruined future, helpless wandering in search of a job, how to survive? Our youth are struggling under the misgovernance of Modi government," Kharge added.

The Congress has been questioning the government over the issue of unemployment and skyrocketing prices of essential items.