india

Updated: Feb 07, 2019 17:26 IST

The youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha on Thursday clashed with the police while marching towards the state Assembly protesting over growing unemployment in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) entered into a scuffle with security personnel while crossing barricades to gherao the Odisha Assembly here.

“While over 22 lakh youth have registered themselves with the employment exchanges in the state since 2009, the state government provided employment to only 26,000 youth in the last 10 years,” said Tankadhar Tripathy, Odisha BJYM president.

“The state government had taken Rs 100 from about 40,000 candidates to hold a job fair. But, it failed to conduct the fair and return the money. The government has looted the youth.”

He said chief minister Naveen Patnaik has failed to keep his 2014 election manifesto promise.

The ruling party had promised to set up a Chief Minister’s Employment Generation Scheme under which a minimum of 150 youth from each gram panchayat will be imparted necessary skill training besides providing loan and subsidy linkage to them.

Reacting to the protest, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said the saffron party has no right to speak on employment.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to provide two crore employment every year. Where is the employment? They have betrayed the youth and the country,” said BJD MLA Puspendra Singhdeo.

Several BJP workers were arrested following the protest.