Sharad Pawar blames BJP for 'young men not finding brides'

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has criticised Bharatiya Janata Party governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra over unemployment, saying it is creating social issues as young men of marriageable age are not finding brides.

Speaking before flagging off the NCP's 'Jan Jagar Yatra' campaign in Pune on Wednesday, Pawar said a rift is being created between communities and an attempt is being made to divert the attention from real issues like inflation and unemployment.

"It is possible to address the issue of hunger in the country as our farmers have increased the production, but the people in power are not ready to give due remuneration to farmers, instead they are safeguarding the interests of middlemen and pushing the common people into the gorge of inflation," the former Union agriculture minister claimed.

Today's youth are educated and they have the right to demand jobs, he said.

Industries are going out of Maharashtra, no encouragement is being given to the existing industries and no opportunities are being given to set up new businesses which is leading to increase in unemployment, Pawar said.

"Once while travelling I came across 15 to 20 men in the age group 25 to 30 sitting idle in a public square in a village. I asked them what did they do. Some said they are graduates, some said they are post-graduates. When I asked if they were married, everyone responded in the negative," the NCP chief said.

Pawar said when he asked them the reason, they said no one was ready to give them brides as they had no jobs.

"These complaints are being heard more in rural parts of the state," he noted.

But instead of adopting policies to boost employment opportunities, attempts are being made to create divisions between communities and religions, Pawar claimed.

"Some issue is created randomly to create hatred between two communities. Why they are doing this? Because they have not been able to fulfil the promises they had made during the election," he added.