Congress protests against Agnipath scheme

The Chandigarh unit of the Congress party held a dharna against the Union government’s Agnipath scheme in front of the Congress Bhawan in Sector 35 on Monday.

The Chandigarh unit of the Congress party held a dharna against the Union government’s Agnipath scheme in front of the Congress Bhawan in Sector 35 on Monday.

The Chandigarh unit of the Congress party protesting against the Agnipath scheme outside the Congress Bhawan at Sector 35 in Chandigarh on Monday. (Keshav Singh/HT)

In a statement, party spokesperson Rajiv Sharma termed the scheme detrimental to the glorious ethos and work culture of the Indian armed forces.

“The short-term recruitment of Agniveers will involve tweaking of the time-tested training procedures of the armed forces, which could adversely impact their operational preparedness,” Sharma said.

Presidents of the Chandigarh units of the Youth Congress and Sewa Dal, besides office-bearers and senior activists of pradesh, district and block Congress committees participated in the dharna. The party activists vowed to continue the peaceful protests till the scheme is taken back by the Union government.

Addressing the party activists through video call, Harmohinder Singh Lucky, president of Chandigarh Congress, said Agnipath scheme was not conducive to safeguarding the national interests.