'Excellent question': Rahul Gandhi's jibe at Nitin Gadkari's 'where are the jobs' remark

Nitin Gadkari had on Saturday said that reservations will not guarantee employment as jobs are shrinking.

NEW DELHI: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a jibe at the Centre over Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's remarks admitting to job shortage in the country. Referring to the 'where are the jobs' question by the Union Minister, Rahul quipped: "Excellent question Gadkari Ji. Every Indian is asking the same question."

Gadkari had on Saturday said that reservations will not guarantee employment as jobs are shrinking. "Let's us assume the reservation is given. But there are no jobs. Because in banks, the jobs have shrunk because of IT. The government recruitment is frozen. Where are the jobs," he asked.

He made the remark while responding to questions on the ongoing agitation by Marathas for reservation and similar demands by other communities in Maharashtra.

"The problem with the quota is that backwardness is becoming a political interest. Everyone says I am backward. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Brahmins are strong. They dominate politics. (And) They say they are backward," the senior BJP leader said.

"So one school of thought is that a poor is a poor, he has no caste, creed or language. Whatever may be the religion -- the Muslim, the Hindu or the Maratha (a caste), in all communities there is one section which has no clothes to wear, no food to eat.

"One school of thought also is (that) we must also consider the poorest of the poor section in every community," he said. This is a "socio-economic thinking" and it must not be politicised, the Union Minister said.

He also urged 'responsible' political parties not to add fuel to the fire and maintained that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to resolve the Maratha quota demand by holding talks.