'First strike then think is not good...': BJP's Varun Gandhi on concessions for 'Agniveers'

Critics have argued that the BJP-led Union government making frequent amendments to Agnipath showed the scheme was passed without proper discussion or consultation.

Published on: Jun 18, 2022, 17:58:38 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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BJP MP Varun Gandhi, who has repeatedly objected to the Agnipath recruitment scheme brought by his party's government at the Centre, on Saturday, pointing to concessions being announced by the Union government to end the ongoing nationwide protests against the policy, said this showed all the points were not considered while devising the initiative.

Also Read | Agnipath critic Varun Gandhi has a message for protesters: ‘A soldier first thinks about…’

“That amendments were made to the Agnipath scheme within a few hours of its launch shows that in all likelihood, all the points were not considered while planning this model. When it comes to the nation's army, security and the future of the youth, ‘first strike then think’ is inappropriate for a sensitive government,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

The Pilibhit MP was reacting to additional concessions announced by the Union home ministry and defence ministry, respectively, for ‘Agniveers,’ 75 per cent of whom, under the contentious policy, will be relieved by the armed forces after the stipulated four years of service. While the home ministry said it will reserve 10 per cent vacancies in the paramilitary forces and Assam Rifles for ‘Agniveers,’ the defence ministry, too, will reserve 10 per cent seats for such recruits.

On Thursday, the central government announced the first change under the policy, extending the upper age limit for eligibility from 21 to 23 under a ‘one-time waiver.’ The move came after anti-Agnipath agitation turned violent in several states, including Bihar, where protests broke out on Wednesday, just a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs unveiled the project.

That the Centre is already making amendments to Agnipath showed it did not think through while announcing it, critics have argued.

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