NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that over two lakh jobs have been "eliminated" from PSUs and alleged that hopes of lakhs of youth are being "trampled upon" by the government for the benefit of a few "crony capitalist friends".

Gandhi said Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) used to be the pride of India and the dream of every youth for employment but today, they are "not the priority of the government".

"Employment in PSUs of the country has come down from 16.9 lakh in 2014 to only 14.6 lakh in 2022. Do jobs decrease in a progressing country? 1,81,127 jobs lost in BSNL; 61,928 in SAIL; 34,997 in MTNL; 29,140 in SECL; 28,063 in FCI; 21,120 in ONGC," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Hitting out at the government, Gandhi said those who made false promises of providing two crore jobs every year, instead of increasing the jobs, "eliminated" more than two lakh jobs.

"On top of this, almost doubled the contract recruitments in these institutions. Is increasing contract employees not a way of taking away the constitutional right of reservation? Is this a conspiracy to privatise these companies?" he said.

"Industrialists' loans waived, and government jobs eliminated from PSU's! What kind of 'Amrit Kaal' is this," Gandhi asked.

If this is really 'Amrit Kaal' then why are jobs disappearing like this, he also asked.

"The country is grappling with record unemployment under this government as the hopes of lakhs of youth are being trampled upon for the benefit of a few crony capitalist friends," Gandhi alleged.

If the PSUs of India get the right environment and support from the government, they are capable of boosting both the economy and employment, he stressed.

PSUs are the property of the country and the people, they have to be promoted so that they can strengthen the path of India's progress, he said.