He said the allocation of Rs 34,400 crore to education will allow for two lakh more teachers and five lakh more classrooms and would allow for programmes like mid-day meals, means-based scholarships and schools for girls. “The UPA Government has given the nation an education budget three-and-a-half times what it had inherited,” he said.

Illustrating why it was crucial to connect the two Indias, Rahul said: “On one hand, we have thousands of young Indians looking for jobs. On the other, we have a galloping industry with massive manpower demand. But we have invested too little in developing the skills of our youth. This renders them unqualified to do jobs that our industries require.” He added: “Indian enterprise will realise its full potential not by distancing itself from the poor but by fully connecting with their aspirations.”