Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State Unit for the Halla Bol protest of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) over unemployment and corruption issues in Raipur.

Addressing a press conference at State Congress party office Rajiv Bhawan in Raipur on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Choubey said that the BJP’s protest ‘Halla Bol’ would turn ‘futile’.

Terming the BJP’s protest against unemployment as meaningless, Choubey said that the BJP had cheated the

unemployed youth of our State for 15 years during its previous government. The BJP was not in a position to hold protest for three and a half years in the state. Now an effort is being made by the new team of the BJP to show its strength through the protest. The BJP is agitating on these issues for its political benefit. The BJP should protest against the Central government that promised to generate two crore employment every year. But the BJP government at the Centre has provided around eight lakh employment to the youth of the country so far as per a statement given in the Parliament. But the Congress government in Chhattisgarh has provided over 3.5 lakh employment to the youth of the state within three and a half years rule, he added. Agriculture Minister Choubey claimed that migration has reduced in Chhattisgarh during the Congress rule. Even people migrating from the cities are settling in the villages, he added. The farmers of the state are not selling lands due to the welfare policies of the Congress government, he said. When the BJP government was in Chhattisgarh, there was 22 per cent unemployment. At present, there is an unemployment rate of 0.78% in the state. Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission is conducting State Service Exam every year, he added. Choubey taunted at the BJP over the protest venue near Nagar Nigam Garden in the state capital. He said that BJP’s protest was only a preparation for the upcoming assembly elections and those participating are eager to get tickets.