Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for rising unemployment in the country and said he was responsible for destroying India’s image abroad, PTI reported.

Addressing a youth rally in Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur, Gandhi claimed the prime minister had promised to create two crore jobs but instead, one crore people had lost employment last year. “Wherever the prime minister goes he talks of Citizenship Amendment Act, National Population Register but the biggest issue of unemployment is not mentioned, the prime minister doesn’t even speak a word on it,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Gandhi pointed out that economic growth has dropped since the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power. “India grew at 9% during the UPA [government’s rule],” the MP from Wayanad said. “The entire world was looking towards us. Today, you have different parameters to measure GDP and you have a 5% rate. If you use old parameters, then India is growing at 2.5%.”

He referred to the 2016 demonetisation exercise and said even an eight-year-old child would say the note ban did more harm than good. “Earlier, we were competing with China but now sadly China has left us far behind,” Gandhi claimed.

He said the youth of the country were “answered with bullets and suppressed” when they asked questions about unemployment. “The reputation and image that India had in the world were that it is a country of brotherhood, love and unity, while Pakistan was known for hatred and divisiveness,” Gandhi added. “This image of India has been damaged by Narendra Modi. Today, India is considered as the rape capital of the world.”

Gandhi challenged Modi to visit any university in the country and answer the questions raised by the youth. “These questions are related to unemployment, dividing the country, spoiling the image of the country,” he said. “The prime minister will not be able to answer, he can only make false promises.”

He urged the youth not to let their voices be suppressed and to ask questions on employment and on the country’s future.