Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Amid raging controversy and violent protests by Army aspirants against Agnipath military recruitment scheme across several states, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said like the controversial Farm Laws, PM Modi will have to withdraw Agnipath scheme accepting the demand of the youth.
In a tweet in Hindi Rahul said, “I had said earlier also that the prime minister will have to withdraw the black farm laws.”
“In the same manner, he will have to accept the demand of the youth of the country by becoming ‘maafiveer’ and take back the ‘Agnipath’ scheme,” he said.
Former Congress president also said that for eight consecutive years, the BJP government has “insulted” the sanctity of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’.
Earlier on Thursday, Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he should wake up before the worst happens and withdraw Agnipath scheme or else he will have to apologise to youth the same way he had to do to the farmers.
In a tweet, Dotasra said, “You couldn’t get the farmers bow down, nor will you be able to get their sons bow down! Mend your ways in time, Modi ji! You had to apologise first to the farmers and now you have to do the same to the youth. Do not deceive the people who have sacrificed their life for the country nor play with the future of the youth.”
The protests against the Agnipath scheme started in Bihar intensified and has spread to several states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gurugram, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and elsewhere causing heavy damage to public properties and Railways. An army job aspirant from Hyderabad was also killed in Friday’s police firing while he was protesting at Secunderabad station on Friday.
The Agnipath scheme was announced on June 14 to recruit jawans into the Army, Navy and the Air Force for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.
