Banni….Banni Pakoda Thinni! (Come..Come..Eat Pakodas aka Fritters) National Students Union of India (NSUI) Sells ‘Pakodas’ marking ‘Unemployment Day’ on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 70th Birthday
Mangaluru: September 17 marked PM Modi’s birthday as he turned 70. A majority of people on Twitter have lauded PM Narendra Modi’s efforts in curbing COVID-19 across the country, handling the India-China situation among other things. Week-long celebrations in the name of ‘Seva Saptah’ were also launched by BJP from Sept 14-20 in view of PM Narendra Modi’s birthday. Recently, WHO had also praised PM Modi’s timely and tough decisions in view of coronavirus and had said that India is in a better position than other advanced nations. But, on the other hand, a certain segment of netizens on Twitter has marked September 17 as National Unemployment Day and the trend has gone viral.
Meantime, The hashtag Rashtriya Berojgar Diwas or National Unemployment Day marked as a protest against the high unemployment rates in the country and to highlight the government’s failure to create jobs and provide employment. As per the National Statistical Office (NSO) report, India’s April-June quarter GDP contracted by 23.9%, the first contraction in more than 40 years. The number of unemployed people are likely to grow not just because people are failing to find jobs, but also because several already employed are likely to lose their jobs, because of the economy and lockdowns imposed due to COVID-19.
And locally here in Mangaluru, while BJP leaders and volunteers were distributing sweets, Free Ayush Card membership with ‘Ayush Kwath’ bottle of Immunity pills, Chikki etc, across the Coastal City, a few members of DK chapter of National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, on September 17 observed ‘National Unemployment Day’ sat in front of the Congress office in Mallikatte, Mangaluru selling Pakodas aka Fritters. This was in contrast with BJP celebrating PM’s birthday with ‘Seva Saptah’ week with a series of programmes like blood donation camps, the opposition parties, including the NSUI, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed PM’s birthday as ‘Unemployment Day’ highlighting the rise in unemployment in India, especially during the pandemic.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, State General secretary Farooq Bayabe and NSUI district general-secretary Sawad Sullia said, “Before and after elections, PM Modi had promised to generate 12 crore jobs, unfortunately, presently we are looking at a situation where 2.5 crore jobs have been lost, prior to the pandemic and even after. Therefore, we are celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday as ‘National Unemployment Day’ in an innovative and unique way by selling pakodas, showing how we earn income when there are no jobs. Because of the way the lockdown was imposed by the Central government, every section of society has been affected. Lakhs of jobs have been lost, Whereas IT professionals, Doctors, engineers, graduates, scientists out of jobs, are selling pakodas, vegetables, fruits etc “
“The central government has not taken any interest in implementing useful schemes for students, which would benefit them a lot. Even though Dakshina Kannada is known as an Educational Bub, due to non-availability of jobs here, students are migrating to Gulf or other foreign countries in search of jobs and for better opportunities. The elected BJP leaders here in Dakshina Kannada, including MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, have failed to bring in IT companies to our district to generate employment,” said Farooq and Sawad.
Anvith Kateel, Shounak Rai, and Vinay Kumar and others of DK-NSUI too joined in the selling of Pakodas.
