AAP submits memorandum to governer against Agnipath

The Himachal unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday submitted a memorandum to governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar seeking revocation of Agnipath, the armed forces’ new recruitment scheme, saying it will cause unrest among the younger generation.

The Himachal unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday submitted a memorandum to governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar seeking revocation of Agnipath, the armed forces’ new recruitment scheme, saying it will cause unrest among the younger generation.

Thakur said that the scheme has overlooked issues of inadequate training. Agnipath scheme entails Agniveers to undergo a six-month crash course in training. (Birbal Sharma /HT)

Party president Surjeet Thakur said, “The Indian Armed Forces have been a beacon of hope representing the highest standards of professionalism, service, long standing tradition, and ethos. However, this recent modification to the basic structure of the army has caused great anguish among youngsters aspiring to serve the country. This controversial ‘contractualisation’ of armed forces has shattered the dreams of young aspirants, said Thakur.”

“Over the last two days, we have seen nationwide protests and last-minute efforts by the Union government to save face. A jawan not only serves the nation but also has the responsibility to support his family, which the Union government is failing to understand. A jawan, who is just out of school and has not completed higher education, will find it harder to find a new job after this ‘retirement from the army’,” he said.

“He said any new scheme should first be run through a pilot and preferably outside of the Indian Army.A consultative exercise could have followed thereafter to avoid national embarrassment and despair among the youth,” he said demanding that Onion government reconsider the scheme.