BJP Spokesman Says Not 3 Lakh but 9 Lakh Youth Unemployed in J&K; Questions Omar on Overaged Aspirants
Srinagar: In a sharp rebuttal to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s claims on the state of employment in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur on Tuesday accused the government of “betraying and misleading” the youth with fabricated statistics and hollow promises.
“Trith, Tass aur Jhoot — hadh kardi apnay Omar Sahab!” Thakur said in a strongly worded statement, reacting to Omar Abdullah’s recent assertion that only three lakh youth are unemployed in the Union Territory. “The ground reality completely contradicts this narrative. The fact is that over nine lakh youth in J&K are struggling without jobs, and Srinagar district alone has more than one lakh unemployed youth, not just 23,000 as falsely projected by the Chief Minister,” he said.
Thakur alleged that the figures presented by the Chief Minister are an attempt to “cover up years of administrative failure and lack of vision.” He said the Abdullah-led government has failed to create sustainable employment avenues despite multiple announcements and public assurances.
“People are not looking for hollow words or manipulated figures. They want results, and this government has failed to deliver. Thousands of aspirants have crossed the age bar while waiting for job notifications that never came, and Omar Sahab still talks about fulfilling promises,” Thakur remarked.
He further said that the BJP has repeatedly warned the government about the growing frustration among the unemployed youth, which is now at a breaking point. “There is a crisis of confidence among the youth. Every passing year, thousands of educated youngsters are pushed into despair. This is not development — this is deception,” Thakur stated.
The BJP spokesman urged the Chief Minister to come clean on how many recruitment drives have actually been completed, how many posts remain vacant across departments, and how many youth have aged out of eligibility criteria due to administrative delays.
“Omar Abdullah must stop misleading the people of J&K. His numbers do not reflect the reality of the streets. If his government truly believes in transparency, let them publish the district-wise unemployment data and explain the growing anger among the educated youth,” Thakur said.
He concluded by reiterating that the BJP stands with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, advocating for transparent, merit-based recruitment and long-term employment generation through industrial and entrepreneurship initiatives.
