Rising unemployment grave concern but PM always in election mode: Cong
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday said "rising unemployment" has become a matter of "grave concern" but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead of solving this problem, is always in "election mode", busy "inventing new speeches" to divert the attention of the public.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the "past 11 years of misrule" have hit all sections of society.
"Students, youth, farmers, labourers, workers, shopkeepers, employees, businessmen - not a single section is happy with this government. Inflation is skyrocketing, the value of the rupee is continuously falling, and the gap between rich and poor is ever-widening, making life difficult for poor and middle-class families," Ramesh said in his post in Hindi on X.
"In this context, rising unemployment has become a matter of grave concern," the Congress leader said.
Citing the latest CMIE report, Ramesh said the country's unemployment rate rose to 7.5% in October 2025, the highest level in the last six months.
"Millions of people have lost their jobs in several sectors, including construction and IT-banking. More than 90 lakh people have lost their jobs in the construction industry, while the number of salaried jobs has declined by 25 lakh," he said.
Similarly, alarming statistics have emerged every year over the past 11 years, he added.
"Yet, it seems Modi ji has no concern for the country's youth. Always in election mode, he is busy inventing new speeches to divert the attention of the public instead of solving the problem of unemployment," Ramesh said.
The Congress has been attacking the government over its handling of the economy, claiming the issues of rising prices, decreasing private investment and stagnating wages were hitting the common people hard.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
