Agnipath scheme has left youth in a lurch: AAP’s Himachal chief

Addressing a press conference, AAP’s state president Surjeet Thakur said that the Agnipath scheme was neither beneficial for youth nor the armed forces and should be scrapped immediately

The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday demanded that the Agnipath recruitment scheme be rolled back.

The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday demanded that the Agnipath recruitment scheme be rolled back. (Birbal Sharma /HT)

Addressing a press conference, AAP’s state president Surjeet Thakur said that the Agnipath scheme was neither beneficial for youth nor the armed forces and should be scrapped immediately. “The scheme is not in the interest of country and its security set up. It is a cruel joke on the youth who prepare for years to join the army.”

“The launch of the new scheme and the cancellation of all the recruitment drives has left the youth of the state in the lurch besides hurting the sentiments of serving soldiers and ex-servicemen. The AAP will not allow the army to become a puppet of the government and if needed will launch a stir against the decision,” he said.

Responding to a question, he said that arson across the country after the launch of the scheme was very worrisome. “The government and administration should take strict action against those who were involved in the violence.However, if their anger has spilled onto the road, the BJP-led union government is to be squarely blamed as it introduced such a badly conceived scheme,” he said.