New Delhi, Feb 2 : Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at the Centre Today for failing to address the problem of unemployment and price rise. “The PM said he would provide two crore jobs every year. With that pace, 15 crore jobs should have been provided by now. In the Budget speech, the Finance Minister proposed to provide 60 lakh jobs in next five years. Why did you mislead the people at the time of seeking votes,” asked Kharge? The senior Congress leader was speaking on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Upper House. “In Bihar and UP people youth came on roads for jobs. Govt has nine lakh vacancies in Railways, Home, Defence and other Ministries… you will not find a dalit as secretary anywhere,” he said adding that atrocities on SC and ST castes have increased ever since the present government came to power. Kharge also said that India’s democracy is in danger. “We are not allowed to speak the truth. If someone speaks, you call him traitor,” he said in the debate adding that every criticism is termed as an attack on the religion by the BJP government. The LOP also criticised the BJP led government for repeatedly saying that nothing has been done in past 70 years. “Had nothing been done, you would not have been alive today. It’s due to this democracy and Constitution that you are occupying big positions,” he said. Kharge said that the President’s address was neither a policy document nor sets a roadmap for future. “The President has repeated the same things which he had spoken in his previous speeches. The President did not speak anything on dalits, farmers or the poor,” said Kharge. Kharge accused the government for rising price of all essential commodities. “The prices of petrol and diesel were increased by 30% from January 2021 to November 2021, but the government continued to increase excise duty on petroleum products. The government earned nearly 25 lakh crore from the excise duty itself in last seven years,” he said. He said that the cost of LPG cylinder in 2014 was Rs 414, today it’s Rs 1000. “This is your achche din? The price of all essential commodities have been increased. Whose achche din? Merely by clapping hands in the House, issues are not resolved,” said Mallikarjun Kharge. Giving credit of the MGNREGA to the UPA government, Kharge said that during the times of pandemic, MGNREGA served as a lifeline for workers who lost jobs. Kharge also targeted the government on the issue of China with certain images believed to be the construction work done by the PLA in forward areas. “When China is snatching our land, building houses, why your eyes are not red now,” he asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House. The LOP also slammed the government for its alleged action against Christian Missionaries under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The government has allotted 12 hours each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to respond to the presidential address during the Motion of Thanks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reply on Feb 8. Earlier, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu urged MPs to ensure smooth functioning of the House saying the trend of disruptions was highly disturbing. (UNI)