NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused the BJP-led Centre of failing to address unemployment and said the Central government was responsible for resentment by students and job aspirants in Jharkhand.Yadav said the Centre had a responsibility to create employment opportunities for young people in Jharkhand and claimed that any positive initiative by the central government would ultimately benefit the state as well.“The real person responsible for unemployment and for putting the future of youngsters in the dark is the Modi government,” Yadav said, while responding to questions on the ongoing protests in Jharkhand.His remarks came amid a prolonged agitation by job aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. The protests turned tense on Monday, with police using water cannons, tear gas and lathi-charge after demonstrators breached barricades near the Jharkhand assembly. Several protesters and four policemen were injured.Yadav also questioned the Centre over the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and demanded answers from the government.“Who will answer for the alleged theft of offerings to Lord Ram? It is not an ordinary matter. It concerns the faith of crores of people,” he said.The SP leader, along with other Opposition MPs, participated in a protest at Makar Dwar in the Parliament complex over the alleged police action against student protesters on July 20 and the Ram Mandir donation controversy.The opposition has been demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the police action against student protesters. The demand has contributed to repeated disruptions in Parliament, with the Monsoon Session scheduled to conclude on August 13.Yadav also criticised the BJP, accusing it of being a “land mafia” party and alleging that faith was being used in connection with land and property in Ayodhya.On the reported attack on former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s convoy, Yadav condemned the incident and said the government was responsible for ensuring her security.“It is very sad to see such an incident happening in a democracy. She is a senior leader and was the chief minister there, and then she was attacked. The kind of behaviour being seen is condemnable,” he said.Yadav added that if the government was behind the incident, it would be “highly reprehensible”, and said Banerjee should be provided adequate security.Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition of disrupting proceedings and said the government was ready for a detailed discussion on the student-related issues.Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also appealed to political parties to cooperate in restoring the functioning of the House, urging members to allow Question Hour and discussions on key bills.
