New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS): BJP General Secretary Dushyant Gautam on Tuesday criticised Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his recent comments regarding Haryana's youth and their alleged involvement in illegal immigration for employment abroad.

Gautam's response followed Rahul Gandhi's social media post, where he labelled the youth of Haryana as "Dunki," a Punjabi term referring to illegal immigration.

"Before calling Haryana's youth 'Dunki,' Rahul Gandhi should reflect on what the BJP has done for them. The BJP government has transformed Haryana," Gautam told IANS.

Gautam went on to slam the Congress, alleging that the party's leadership only sought personal gains, referencing Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law and his ties to real estate giants.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) should introspect how Congress treated the people of Haryana. He only wanted his brother-in-law to become a millionaire there. Everyone knows what happened with the realty major. Money was taken for jobs, riots were incited, and people were forced to sell their homes during Congress' rule," Gautam said.

The BJP leader also accused Rahul Gandhi of being disconnected from the current situation in the state.

"You don't like the peace prevailing in the nation, which is why you see the youth as Dunki," he remarked, adding, "It is not the youth who have become Dunki, but you. You have become the Dunki."

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi took to X to criticise the BJP government's handling of unemployment in Haryana, claiming it had forced many youths to seek opportunities abroad.

"Why did Haryana's youth become Dunki? Lakhs of families are paying the price for the 'berozgaari ki bimari' (disease of unemployment) spread by the BJP by being away from their loved ones," the Lok Sabha LoP wrote.

He shared an anecdote from his recent visit to America, where he met Haryana's youth who were working abroad.

"When I met their families back in India, their eyes were filled with pain. The lack of opportunities has driven children away from their families," he wrote.

"In 10 years, BJP has done grave injustice to the youth of the entire country, including Haryana, by snatching employment opportunities from them. Broken trust and a defeated mind compelled the youth to undertake a 'yaatnao ki yaatra' (journey of torture). If these migratory birds, separated from their homes, get a chance to earn their livelihood in their own country, among their loved ones, then they will never leave their homeland," the LoP wrote.

The Congress leader promised that if his party came to power, they would establish a system in Haryana that would create job opportunities for the youth within the state, preventing them from seeking employment abroad.

"Our resolve is that as soon as the Congress government is formed, we will create a system in which the youth of Haryana will no longer have to leave their loved ones to fulfil their dreams," Rahul Gandhi concluded.