Agniveer to get priority for security of BJP offices, says Kailash Vijayvargiya, triggers row

Congress launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led state government for insulting the unemployed youth of the country following the controversial comment by the senior BJP leader

Published on: Jun 19, 2022, 17:05:39 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Agniveers will be given priority while allocating the work of guarding the BJP party office, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has said.

BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya triggered a row with his controversial comment on Agniveers in Indore on Saturday. (HT PHOTO.)

“When an Agniveer will take training and come out after serving in the defence sector for 4 years at the age of 21 to 25 years, he will have ₹11 lakh. He will have the tag of an Agniveer. If I want to hire security for the BJP office, I will give priority to Agniveer,” BJP national general secretary Vijayvargiya said at a press conference in Indore on Saturday.

“My friend has given the work of security to a former army man, who retired at the age of 35 years,” he added.

Following this statement from the senior BJP leader, the opposition Congress launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led state government for insulting the unemployed youth of the country.

“On one side, Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to improve the condition of unemployment while on the other side BJP’s national general secretary is insulting youth by giving them work of security guards,” said KK Mishra, media in-charge, MP Congress Committee.

BJP leaders defended Vijayvargiya. BJP spokesperson Hitesh Vijayvargiya said, “In India, this Agnipath scheme will bring a revolution in civil defence. Like Europe, India doesn’t have a trained civil force. Everybody knows that personal guards of industrialists, celebrities and politicians get good salary so it will definitely increase employment opportunities.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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