New Delhi, Nov 6 The Congress on Friday claimed that the Agnipath scheme has weakened the country’s security and called for its scrapping to bring back the recruitment of regular soldiers.
The opposition party also demanded that the 25 per cent of soldiers being made regular should be given all the benefits of regular soldiers retrospectively, from the time they were recruited as Agniveers.
The Congress’ demands come two days after the government announced that Agniveers set to exit the military at the end of their four-year tenure will be given an additional two-year extension and subsequent permanent recruitment subject to meeting specific eligibility criteria.
The decision was announced on Wednesday by Chief of Defence Staff Gen N S Raja Subramani, shortly after the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the changes as recommended by the three services following an exhaustive review of the military recruitment scheme.
Congress’ Ex-Servicemen Department head Colonel (retd) Rohit Chaudhry said four years ago, the Modi government imposed the Agniveer scheme on our armed forces and at that time, the chiefs of all three services had stated that “we had not advised bringing this scheme”.
“This was a scheme that weakened our country’s security. Ever since this scheme was introduced, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi ji, the Congress party’s ex-servicemen department and all the party’s justice warriors have fought a battle to end this scheme and ran the ‘Jai-Jawan Campaign’ across the entire country,” he said.
“After the introduction of this scheme, our army faced a shortage of over two lakh soldiers. Due to the Modi government’s Tughlaqi decree, the dreams of 1.5 lakh children were shattered – those who had been recruited into the Army and Air Force and were awaiting their joining,” Chaudhry said.
“The Agniveer scheme is against the country’s security. We must scrap this scheme and recruit regular soldiers,” he told a press conference here along with other members of the Congress’ Ex-Servicemen Department.
“Under Rahul Gandhi ji’s leadership, we have been fighting on the ground against this scheme. But now the government has suddenly become scared because the first batch of Agniveers is about to complete 4 years, after which 75 per cent of the soldiers will be let go,” he said.
In this situation, the CDS held a press conference on November 4, announced the Cabinet’s decision and said that the remaining 75 per cent of Agniveers would be given a two-year extension after four years, he said.
“Then, after six years, soldiers who meet the selection criteria will be made permanent, while those who cannot will be let go,” he said.
Chaudhry claimed that over 40 Agniveers have died by suicide, driven to despair by the Agnipath scheme, discrimination and service conditions.
“We saw very few such cases during our service, but what is happening now is tragic. Actually, the Modi government has become scared because of the elections, so it is now talking about extending the Agniveer scheme by 2 years. The BJP government knows that this scheme will prove to be the final nail in the coffin of its government,” he said.
“But the question is – why only a 2-year extension, why not make it permanent,” Chaudhry asked.
Putting forward the demands of the party, Chaudhry said the 25 per cent of soldiers being made regular should be given all the benefits of regular soldiers retrospectively – from the time they were recruited as Agniveers.
Agniveers should also be given 90 days of leave, like regular soldiers, and they should be allowed to get married, because it is their fundamental right, he said.
Agniveers who have been medically boarded out should be remustered, Chaudhry said.
“The families of Agniveers who have been martyred should be given all the benefits and a lifelong pension, like the families of regular soldiers. Agniveers are paid only Rs 40,000 a month compared to regular soldiers. The country must be given an account of where the money for their other benefits has gone,” he said.
“We will launch ‘Jai Jawan – Part 2’ today, and this fight will continue until the Agnipath scheme is scrapped,” the Congress leader said.
Under the Agnipath scheme rolled out in June 2022, soldiers were recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retaining only 25 per cent of them in regular services.
The changes in the scheme were brought in just over three weeks before around 18,300 Agniveers were to exit the armed forces by December 31 after completing their four-year tenure.
(PTI News)
