A stampede-like situation occurred in Ankleshwar, Gujarat, when around 800 people turned up for walk-in interviews held by a firm for just 40 vacancies. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, has sparked a political war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, highlighting the state’s unemployment crisis.
Footage of the incident shows hundreds of job aspirants queuing up for the interview at a hotel. The crowd was so massive that the railings around the building collapsed as people pushed each other while moving towards the entrance of the hotel where the interview was being held. The railing of the ramp finally collapsed, leading to several aspirants falling off, though no one was injured, news agency PTI reported.
Bharuch Superintendent of Police Mayur Chavda explained that the company had booked a hall in the hotel, expecting only 150 candidates. However, the overwhelming response of 800 applicants led to the chaotic situation. The company officials were forced to shut the door of the interview hall to control the crowd, contributing to the near-stampede.
The incident has triggered a political firestorm, with the Congress seizing the opportunity to criticize the BJP’s “Gujarat model” of development. The party alleged that the incident exposed the state’s high unemployment rate. In a post on X, the opposition Congress stated, “Gujarat model of Narendra Modi. A huge crowd of unemployed people gathered for a hotel job in Bharuch, Gujarat. The situation became such that the railing of the hotel broke and the Gujarat model was exposed. Narendra Modi is imposing this model of unemployment on the entire country.”
The Gujarat unit of the Congress went a step further, alleging that Gujarat has the highest unemployment rate in the 30 years of the BJP government. They criticized the BJP for not fulfilling its promises, stating, “It is an old habit of BJP to promise 2 crore jobs every year before elections and not fulfill the promise later.”
The BJP countered the Congress’s accusations, calling the notion of the individuals being unemployed “baseless.” In a post on X, the BJP Gujarat stated, “Efforts to defame Gujarat are being made through a viral video from Ankleshwar. The advertisement for the walk-in interview clearly states they require experienced candidates. This implies those attending the interview are already employed elsewhere…It’s evident that spreading negativity about Gujarat is a tactic learned from the Congress!”
