The lack of employment was one of Rahul Gandhi’s main focus while attacking the Gujarat government during the assembly elections. (File Photo) The lack of employment was one of Rahul Gandhi’s main focus while attacking the Gujarat government during the assembly elections. (File Photo)

Congress President Rahul Gandhi took on BJP on Sunday for making empty promises and punched holes in its ambitious Smart City project. Citing a report, Rahul took to Twitter saying the government utilised only 7 per cent of Rs 9,860 crore allotted for the Smart City project. He even posted a video of China’s Shenzhen, a city that has transformed from a fishing community to a financial megacity, to highlight the lack of jobs plaguing the country.

“Dear Modi bhakts, out of 9,860 crores for the Smart Cities only 7% has been used. China is out competing us, while your master (Narendra Modi) gives us empty slogans. Please watch this video and advise him to focus on what matters – job creation for India,” the Congress chief tweeted with #BJPEmptyPromises.

Dear Modi bhakts, Out of 9,860 crores for the Smart Cities only 7% has been used. China is out competing us while your master gives us empty slogans. Please watch this video and advise him to focus on what matters- job creation for India.#BJPEmptyPromiseshttps://t.co/o6C0NzteqX — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 31, 2017

Rahul’s tweet comes after an Urban Affairs Ministry report said out of Rs 9,860 crore released to 60 cities under the Smart City Mission, Rs 645 crore have been utilised so far. Of the Rs 196 crore released to each of around 40 cities, Ahmedabad has spent the maximum amount of Rs 80.15 crore, followed by Indore (Rs 70.69 crore), Surat (Rs 43.41 crore) and Bhopal Rs 42.86 crore, the report said.

The Smart City Project is one of Modi’s pet schemes and once completed, these cities will have world-class infrastructure, public transport, healthcare services, education system and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The lack of employment was one of the Congress’s main focus while attacking the Gujarat government during the assembly elections. Gandhi had flagged how the privatisation of education had raised fees but the youths were finding it difficult to get employed.

However, this is not the first time when the Gandhi scion has compared the employment situation in China to that of India while attacking the Modi government. During an election campaign in Gujarat, Gandhi had said, “Each time you push a button on your phone, a young person in China gets a job. While China’s government creates 50,000 jobs, India delivers just 450 every 24 hours.”

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