Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday alleged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s skill development cooperation is facilitating the recruitment of about 15,000 Indian workers in Israel in the West Asia war.

The Congress chief claimed that earlier youth from the country were duped by dubious agents for going to the Russia-Ukraine war and many lost their lives too.

“It speaks volumes about the Joblessness induced by the anti-youth policies of the Modi Government,” he said in a social media post on X.

Kharge said that the fact that young unskilled, semi-skilled and educated youth are willing to risk their lives and serve in war-ridden theatres, at reportedly high salaries, “tells you that PM Modi’s lofty claims on Jobs are nothing but fake retorts to hide his own failures”.

“Youth of Haryana who are forced to seek jobs in these conflict zones will teach a befitting lesson to the BJP, tomorrow,” the 82-year-old leader said.

“None less than Modi Government’s National Skill Development Cooperation is facilitating the recruitment of about 15,000 Indian workers in Israel, amidst the war in West Asia,” senior Congress leader alleged.

The Congress leader’s remarks were made a day before the Haryana Assembly elections, where his party aims to regain power from the BJP after a decade.

Labeling the reports of a proposed toilet tax in the state as baseless, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhuon Friday slammed BJP after it claimed that the Congress-led government is planning to impose a tax of Rs 25 on toilets in urban households.

Speaking to reporters, Sukhu said, “BJP distributed free sweets to the capable people whereas today in Himachal, facilities are being provided to every needy person. Allegations like toilet tax are completely baseless. They need to seriously study this issue.”

The controversy sparked after the reports alleged that the Sukhu government had ordered citizens to pay sewage connection fees per toilet seat in their homes, as the state faces a financial crisis. 

With the alleged proposal of the state government, Opposition BJP including Union Ministers criticized the Congress-led state government for taxing basic amenities.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed her disbelief on a social media platform and said, “Unbelievable, if true! While PM Modi builds Swachhata as a people’s movement, here is Congress taxing people for toilets! Shame that they didn’t provide good sanitation during their time, but this step will shame the country.”

Addressing the ‘Abhinandan Samaroh’ organised by party workers in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur, BJP president JP Nadda hit out at Sukhu government over a toiled tax proposal in the state.

“Himachal has become 100% ODF under the Swachh Bharat campaign. But today I heard here that Sukhu ji has imposed tax on toilets here as well. This Congress government has lost its mind!” he slammed Congress government in the state.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a swipe at Congress, saying, “Now Congress won’t even let you to go to toilet in peace”.

The Himachal Pradesh government, after facing backlash from the Opposition, released an official statement that read, “The Jal Shakti Department of Himachal Pradesh refutes the news published in the media, which claims that sewage connections will be provided based on the number of toilet seats installed by the building owner. It is clarified that no such notification has been issued by the present government.”

It added that sewage connections will continue to be provided as before and further clarified that the recent notification pertains only to water charges, and all other conditions remain unchanged.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke to the Dalit man whose family including son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters were shot dead by an unknown assailant in nearby Amethi.   

“A Dalit family was shot dead in a brutal incident in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. Today MP Shri Kishori Lal Sharma made the victim’s family talk to the Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi. Strict action should be taken against the culprits in this case and the victims should get justice,” the Congress said in a post on X.

According to PTI, Ram Gopal (60) arrived in Sudamapuri village in the Unchahar area of Rae Bareli with the bodies of his family members, who were killed in their rented home on Thursday evening.

Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma, who came to Rae Bareli at Gandhi’s behest, arranged the phone call, which lasted about three minutes according to visuals.

Sunil Kumar, 35, a government school teacher, his 32-year-old wife Poonam, and the couple’s two daughters, Drishti and Suni, were shot dead in the Ahorwa Bhawani area of Amethi.

“The way my son has gone, they (killers) should go the same way,” Ram Gopal told reporters earlier in the day in Amethi.

The Amethi MP said he had been in touch with Ram Gopal since yesterday. Sharma said he has spoken to the DM of Amethi and asked him to probe the case from all angles. “Let the police investigation get completed,” he said.

“The government keeps patting its back, claiming good law and order, but if that is the case, why such incidents are happening?” he asked.

Sharma, a first-time MP, said it was Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi who had asked him to go to his constituency.

Speaking to reporters, Sharma said: “I spoke to Rahul ji and apprised him about the incident and the situation. He asked me to reach the village. The incident happened in my constituency and the victims were natives of Rahul ji’s parliamentary constituency. Both constituencies are associated with the Gandhi family. He directed me to come here and I am here.”

According to police, Poonam had lodged a police complaint against Chandan Verma in Rae Bareli on August 18 under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and for harassment.

The deceased Poonam had written in the complaint that if anything happens to her or her family, Verma should be held responsible for it, Amethi Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar Singh said on Thursday.