E-Paper
Agnipath 'forced down throats by 56-inch...', says Owaisi
Agnipath protest: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to withdraw the Agnipath scheme just like he revoked the three farm laws.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehad Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday once again demanded the rollback of Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces. This comes on a day the defence ministry stated that there would be no rollback of the scheme amid protests across the country.
The Hyderabad MP in a series of tweets asked the Centre to ‘make up the shortfall in men and equipment' in the forces. “I once again appeal to the government to stop this devious manner of working, listen to the youth of this country, immediately rollback this cruel scheme of contractual recruitment and make up the shortfall in men and equipment for our armed forces,” he tweeted.
“A political decision, extremely unpopular with our youth because it plays with their future, is being forced down their throats by 56-inch hiding behind the military leadership which is bound by discipline,” Owaisi said. “The shortfall in the army has already crossed one lakh soldiers. If you say that you had been planning for two years, why do you need four years to induct people so that our army is fully prepared against China and Pakistan?” he added further.
This is not the first time when Owaisi has questioned the Agnipath scheme which was announced by defence minister Rajnath Singh in the presence of three services chiefs on Tuesday.
On Saturday, he had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to withdraw the scheme just like he revoked the three farm laws. "The way PM Modi revoked the land and farm laws, he has to take back this (Agnipath Scheme) decision as well for the security and the youth of the country," he had said.
The defence ministry said that the Agnipath scheme won't be rolled back and the concessions announced were pre-planned and not due to the incidents of arson during the protests. On violence during the protests, a top defence official closely involved with the Agnipath scheme said that the candidates will have to submit a written pledge stating they didn't participate in the violent protests.
“The Indian Army's foundation lies in discipline. There's no space for arson or vandalism. Every individual will have to give a certificate they were not part of protests or vandalism. Police verification is mandatory, no one can join without it,” said Lieutenant General Anil Puri, additional secretary, department of military affairs.
