No One Takes Rahul Gandhi Seriously, He is an Entertainer and a Jumla: Trivendra Singh Rawat at News18 India Rising Summit

New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat called Rahul Gandhi a "jumla" and said that the Congress president was not taken seriously in the country.

"Although he is 47, Rahul Gandhi has a lot to learn politically. He is not taken seriously, people consider him an entertainer. He blames our jumlas but he himself is a jumla," said Rawat at the News18 Rising India Summit.

Terming the BJP's loss in Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls as 'gath jod (political manoeuvring)', Rawat said, "Our focus is on economically backward states. We won in Tripura because of PM Narendra Modi's focus in smaller states. However, we lost in Gorakhpur because of gath jod. They could not fight us alone and they know it," said Rawat.

He further added, "If UP is destroyed right now, it's because of Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh has played the politics of caste and he has turned the state into one. There is a running joke in UP that when a Yadav takes birth he is destined to be a Superintendent of police. Such is the caste card played in the state that government jobs were being distributed in the name of caste."

The leader, when asked about unemployment, claimed that it was something that all states had to face and that government jobs were not the answer.

"Every government's biggest challenge is unemployment. In a country where 87% of the population is young, employment generation is a necessity and a challenge. There are only so many government jobs available, hence we need to work towards self-employment. Startup India needs to be pushed. For example, the demand for organic products is increasing, and that can be a source of employment," he said.

Talking about the issue of rural to urban migration in his state, Rawat said that his government was working towards solving it by connecting urban amenities to the rural population.

"Education, Health and Jobs are the demands of a hill state. We have employed more than 1100 doctors and have got more than 900 nurses. 36 hospitals in the states are linked to telemedicine. Respected doctors