Guess UP stands for ‘Unemployed People’: Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi: The Congress party has taken on the Yogi Adityanath government over a nearly 60 percent rise in unemployment in Uttar Pradesh, with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor saying Uttar Pradesh stands for “Unemployed People”.

ET had reported on Friday that UP’s Labour Minister Swami Prasad Maurya said in a written answer in the state assembly that the number of unemployed persons registered with the government stood now at nearly 34 lakh, almost 12.5 lakh up from the figure cited by Maurya in the assembly two years ago. This was in response to a question asked by an MLA of BJP ally Apna Dal.

“Uttar Pradesh admits to 12.5 lakh more unemployed in last 2 years. I guess “UP” stands for “Unemployed People”. The human consequences of political mismanagement.,” Tharoor tweeted, quoting the ET story.




Congress General Secretary (UP) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attacked the Yogi government saying the youth was disturbed over the situation. “The government’s work is to give jobs but this UP government is increasing the unemployed each year. See the fake claims of BJP’s people and their reality,” Vadra wrote on Twitter.

The Samajwadi Party said in a statement that BJP in UP had promised 70 lakh jobs in 5 years in its poll manifesto but had “snatched” jobs of 12.5 lakh persons. “This allegation is not that of the opposition, but government’s own admission in the state assembly. The CM has destroyed UP,” the SP said.

There has been no response from the UP government so far but the CM’s media advisor, MrityunjayKumar took objection to Tharoor’s description of UP as ‘Unemployed People’.

“Mr Tharoor, ups and downs are a part of life but why to disrespect the entire state? By saying UP stands for Unemployed People, aren’t you belittling all the UP people? I suggest you should spend less time with your leader, Rahul Gandhi,” Kumar said.