West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the Narendra Modi government over the Agnipath scheme for recruitments in the armed forces, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to create its own armed cadre through the programme, PTI reported.
"The BJP is trying to create its own armed cadre base through this scheme. What will they do after four years? The party wants to give arms into the hands of the youth," the Trinamool Congress chief said in the West Bengal assembly.
The Bengal chief minister also hit out at the saffron party over BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya's remarks of giving priority to ‘Agniveers’ while allocating the work of guarding the BJP offices. She asked whether the BJP plans to hire ‘Agniveer’ soldiers as "watchmen" at its party offices, after their four-year service period.
AGNIPATH PROTESTS LIVE COVERAGE
The Bengal chief minister's attack comes a day after Janata Dal Secular leader HD Kumaraswamy alleged that the Agnipath scheme is a plan to bring the army under the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“This is a plan to bring the army under RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) control and use the 75% (out of the 10 lakh) who come out of the army and will be spread out around the country. Is the Agnipath scheme to create Agniveer’s a ploy to implement the same measures (agenda),” the former Karnataka chief minister said.
Despite protests, the Centre has already made it clear that there will be no rollback of the Agnipath recruitment scheme. “Why should it be rolled back? It is the only progressive step to making the armed forces young. It is a question of protecting the country,” Lieutenant General Anil Puri, additional secretary, Department of Military Affairs, said at a tri-services press conference.
“This is a plan to bring the army under RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) control and use the 75% (out of the 10 lakh) who come out of the army and will be spread out around the country. Is the Agnipath scheme to create Agniveer’s a ploy to implement the same measures (agenda),” the former Karnataka chief minister said.
Despite protests, the Centre has already made it clear that there will be no rollback of the Agnipath recruitment scheme. “Why should it be rolled back? It is the only progressive step to making the armed forces young. It is a question of protecting the country,” Lieutenant General Anil Puri, additional secretary, Department of Military Affairs, said at a tri-services press conference.