‘Why did Haryana youth turn to Dunki?: Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP ahead of polls

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of committing “grave injustice” to the youth of the country including those in Haryana by depriving them of employment opportunities and forcing them to undertake a “journey of torture” to foreign countries.
While sharing a video on social media of his recent interaction in the United States, Rahul Gandhi highlighted the struggles faced by immigrants from Haryana.
They spoke about how unemployment in their home state forced them to move to the US, where they are confronting significant challenges.
In his post in Hindi accompanying the video, Gandhi said, “Why did the youth of Haryana turn to Dunki?”
“Dunki” refers to the illegal immigration technique known as ‘donkey flights’ and gained popularity following the release of a Rajkumar Hirani movie starring Shah Rukh Khan last year.
“Lakhs of families are paying the price of the ‘disease of unemployment’ spread by the BJP by being away from their loved ones,” Gandhi said on X (formerly Twitter).
“During my visit to America, I met those youngsters from Haryana who are struggling in a foreign country, away from their families,” the Lok Sabha MP added.
Rahul Gandhi mentioned that when he met the families upon his return to India, their eyes filled with pain.
He said that the lack of opportunities has deprived children of their fathers’ support and the elderly of the support they need in their old age.
“In 10 years, the BJP has done a grave injustice to the youth of the country including in Haryana by snatching employment opportunities from them,” said Gandhi.
“Forced by broken trust and with a defeated mind, the youth are undertaking a ‘journey of torture’. If these migratory birds, separated from their nests, get a chance to earn a living in their own country, among their loved ones, then they will never leave their homeland,” he claimed.
“It is our resolve that as soon as the Congress government is formed, we will create such a system in Haryana in which the youth will not have to stay away from their loved ones for their dreams,” the Congress leader stressed.
The video showcases Gandhi engaging with youth from Haryana in the US, where he asks them about their challenges in a foreign country.
Deportation emerges as their biggest fear, with the youth explaining that unemployment compelled them to leave their homeland in search of better opportunities.
It also shows Gandhi visiting the family of an immigrant who sustained injuries in a road accident in the US. The family shares their sorrow over being separated from their loved one.
Earlier on Friday, Gandhi visited a village in Karnal district, Haryana, to meet the family of the young man who was injured in the accident.
With the October 5 Haryana polls approaching, the Congress party is focusing on farmers and unemployment as key issues in its campaign to reclaim power from the ruling BJP.
With PTI inputs