Congress on Friday demanded the scrapping of the Agnipath recruitment scheme, alleging that it weakens national security, disrupts military training and leaves young recruits without the job security and benefits available to regular soldiers.
“This was a major scheme that threatened to weaken our national security. The Modi government introduced it in haste, without adequate consideration,” Congress leader Colonel (Retd.) Rohit Chaudhary said.
Introduced in June 2022, the Agnipath scheme recruits personnel below officer rank for four years, with 25% of each batch eligible for retention in regular service. On November 4, the Union Cabinet approved an additional two-year engagement period for the remaining 75% of the recruited pool, after which they can be considered for regular enrolment subject to their willingness and meeting selection criteria. The move came weeks before more than 18,300 Agniveers from the first batch were due to complete their four-year tenure by December 31.
Deep Dive
What is the two-year extension for Agniveers?
Why does Congress oppose the Agnipath scheme despite the extension?
Can all Agniveers become regular soldiers after the extension?
Chaudhary questioned why the government was extending the service period instead of regularising all Agniveers. Referring to the Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani’s assessment that recruits had performed well, he asked, “If all of them performed so well, why are only 25% being made regular soldiers today? Why should the remaining 75 % have to wait?”
Arguing that the scheme could undermine operational preparedness, Chaudhary said, “We do not need a contractual army to guard these borders. We need a regular army.” He alleged that the short tenure had disrupted cadre management and limited opportunities for further training, especially for technical roles in the armed forces. “Over four years, we are unable to provide these recruits with the proper training required under the army’s established system,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Arguing that the scheme could undermine operational preparedness, Chaudhary said, “We do not need a contractual army to guard these borders. We need a regular army.” He alleged that the short tenure had disrupted cadre management and limited opportunities for further training, especially for technical roles in the armed forces. “Over four years, we are unable to provide these recruits with the proper training required under the army’s established system,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“When you do not even know whether a person will remain in service after four years, the entire training system is disrupted,” said Colonel Sudhir from the Congress’s ex-servicemen department.
Lieutenant Colonel Navjot Singh Thind, who heads the party’s ex-servicemen department in Chandigarh, said there had been no need to alter the army’s recruitment system. “As a soldier, I certainly know that there was absolutely no need to tamper with the army in this manner. And if there was a need to do so, why have they now changed the scheme?” he asked.
Chaudhary also alleged that Agniveers faced unequal treatment compared with regular soldiers in terms of pay, leave, career progression and compensation for those killed in service. “Agniveers are given only 30 days of leave, whereas regular soldiers are entitled to 90 days…Living and working in such a stressful environment became extremely difficult for them,” he added.
He further called for families of Agniveers killed in the line of duty to receive lifelong pensions and benefits equivalent to those provided to families of regular soldiers.
The Congress leader said the revised service tenure for Agniveers was an acknowledgement by the BJP-led government of the scheme’s failure. “It [BJP] has effectively admitted that the Agnipath scheme was an unlawful, ill-conceived, unwarranted, anti-national, anti-military and anti-youth decision that needed to be rejected,” he said.
Chaudhary further announced the launch of “Jai Jawan Part Two”, renewing the Congress’s campaign against the Agnipath scheme. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched the “Jai Jawan” campaign in 2024, demanding the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme and the restoration of regular army recruitment.