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Agnipath row: Army aspirants from across Punjab protest outside CM Bhagwant Mann’s residence
The protesters from across Punjab are demanding that the Central government roll back the ‘Agnipath’ scheme and organise the written exam for those who have cleared the medical and physical tests for joining the army
: Hundreds of army aspirants from across Punjab on Friday protested outside the residence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann here against the Centre’s recently unveiled military recruitment scheme.
The protesters are demanding that the Central government roll back the scheme and organise the written exam for those who have cleared the medical and physical tests for joining the army.
The Agnipath scheme was unveiled to recruit people between the age group of 17.5 and 21 years into the military service of their choice for four years. However, amid widespread agitation, the Centre on Thursday night extended the upper age limit to 23 years – a waiver to be applicable only for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022.
The protesters said that they are protesting here to request CM Mann to raise their issue with the Centre and resolve it.
Kuldeep Singh of Bhawanigarh, said, “there are a total 22,000 job aspirants in Punjab, who have cleared the medical and physical tests and are just waiting for the written examination to take place. The central government has already canceled the dates of the written exam four times.”
“Now it has introduced the Agnipath scheme. What will we do after 4 years?” he asked.
Meanwhile, the protesters have also formed a committee of 11 members, which will lead their agitation.
‘Ill-conceived’: Warring on Agnipath scheme
Expressing his party’s solidarity with the protesting youth, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Friday urged the Central government to reconsider the Agnipath scheme.
He said that Punjabis join the defence forces with a sense of pride and they give everything for their country.
“Putting them in the line of duty for four years and then throwing them out without any pension or other benefits is unfair, unjustified and unacceptable,” he said, calling the scheme an “ill-conceived and ill-advised-decision”.
He said there is no point in announcing a policy that alienates the people for whom it is meant. “They (people) have every right peacefully protest against the new policy,” the Congress leader said, while appealing to the protesting youth to maintain peace.
