E-Paper
Agniveers treated as ‘use and throw labourer’ by Centre: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha
Rahul Gandhi reiterated that the day their government comes to power, the Agniveer scheme will be scrapped.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, claiming that Agniveers were being treated as “use and throw.”
While addressing the House, Rahul Gandhi said, “A few days back in Punjab, I met the family of an Agniveer who attained martyrdom in a landmine blast. I am calling him a martyr, but the Government of India doesn’t recognise him as a martyr. Narendra Modi doesn’t call him a martyr; he calls him an Agniveer.”
“The family won’t receive a pension or compensation, nor will their son be recognised as a martyr,” he said, adding that the Agniveers are treated as a 'use and throw' labourer.”
He accused the Centre of creating a wedge between Indian Army personnel and Agniveers by treating them differently.
“You give an Agniveer six months of training and put him in front of Chinese personnel who receive five years of training. Not only that, you are creating differences between a jawan and an Agniveer because of the benefits,” said Rahul Gandhi.
Looking at the treasury benches, he questioned, “You identify yourselves as patriots, but what kind of patriots are you?”
This prompted intervention from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading lies in the House. “The government pays a compensation of ₹1 crore to the family members of an Agniveer who dies in the line of duty,” Singh said
Rahul Gandhi responded by saying that while Rajnath Singh has his opinion, he too has his own, but the Agniveers of the country are aware of the reality.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the House had recorded two statements, one from the Leader of the Opposition and one from the Defence Minister.
“Leader of Opposition just said that one crore is not paid, and the Defence Minister has replied. The House is not a place to spread lies. Rahul Gandhi must present the factual position, and if he can’t do that, he should apologise.”
Rahul Gandhi promptly responded, saying he had already presented the factual position in the House, and everyone was aware of it. This led to chaos in the House with members from the treasury benches challenging Rahul Gandhi’s remarks.
Rahul Gandhi also added that the idea of the Agniveer scheme came from the PMO, not the Indian Army, and that it was the brainchild of the Prime Minister, similar to demonetisation.
The Defence Minister then said 158 organisations had given suggestions to implement the scheme. He added that similar schemes exist in the USA and UK and accused Rahul Gandhi of speaking without proper information, requesting the Speaker that his address be deleted from the House proceedings.
In his response, Rahul Gandhi asserted that the day their government comes to power, the Agniveer scheme will be scrapped.
