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Kargil@25: PM Modi strongly backs Agnipath plan
PM Modi hailed soldiers' valor in Kargil war, defended Agnipath scheme, slammed Pakistan, and criticised opposition during Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the valour of the soldiers whose heroism won India the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan, and sought to strongly brush aside criticism of the controversial Agnipath recruitment model that cuts tenure and offers fewer service benefits, saying its goal was to keep the forces young and battle-ready.
Standing on a makeshift stage in Dras on a helipad named after a 22-year-old Kargil war hero killed in action, Modi also launched a volley of attacks on Pakistan as the 25th anniversary of the conflict was marked across the country.
”In Kargil, we not only won the war, we presented an incredible example of truth, restraint and strength...Kargil Vijay Diwas reminds us that the sacrifices made for the nation are immortal,” he said, paying tribute at the Kargil war memorial to young soldiers who fell fighting Pakistan army intruders.
Modi also issued stern warnings to Islamabad and said Pakistan was trying to stay relevant by using terrorism and proxy wars. “Today, I am speaking at a place from where the masters of terror can hear my voice directly. I want to tell these patrons of terrorism that their nefarious intentions will never succeed.”
But the majority of his speech was devoted to the Agnipath scheme.
“The truth is that the Agnipath scheme will increase the strength of the country,” he said, defending the scheme in the presence of the chief of defence staff and the three service chiefs who were here for the landmark 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations.
“Discussions on reducing the age profile of the armed forces had been going on for decades, but there was no political will to make this happen. The average age of Indian soldiers was way more than the global average and that was worrisome,” Modi added.
The scheme, which the Opposition Congress has repeatedly called for scrapping, has come under fire from aspirants across the country, especially the northern states, and is believed to have lost the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a chunk of votes across the region in the summer’s national elections.
Agnipath was a major departure from the military’s decades-old recruitment system that was scrapped when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government announced the new scheme in June 2022. It seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25% of them in regular service. Those recruited under the scheme are called Agniveers.
The Opposition attacked Modi for “politicising” a national event.
“It is very unfortunate and deplorable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is doing petty politics even on occasions like paying tribute to martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas. No PM has ever done this before. Modi ji is saying that his government implemented the Agnipath scheme at the behest of the army; this is a blatant lie and an unforgivable insult to our valiant armed forces,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X.
The Opposition is attempting to create an illusion that the scheme was introduced to cut the pension bill, Modi said in his speech.
“This is shameful. They forget that a soldier recruited today will get pension only after 30 years and by then Modi would be 105 and there will be no Modi government. Do they think Modi is such a fool to be abused for it now. It’s not the party but the country that is paramount for me,” he said.
To be sure, soldiers recruited under the legacy system serve for about 20 years before they retire in their late 30s with pension and other benefits, which Agniveers released from service after four years are not entitled to.
“Sadly, a sensitive issue linked to national security has been politicised by the very people who were involved in scams running into thousands of crores. The same people who never wanted the air force to get new fighter jets and had prepared to lock the Tejas fighter plane in a box,” Modi said.
His comments come at a time when the armed forces are expected to suggest to the government that the age ceiling for Agnipath inductees be raised to 23 and that at least 50% be retained after four years to boost combat effectiveness, as reported by HT.
The scheme is likely to be a major election issue in the upcoming assembly polls in Haryana.
The proposed overhaul of Agnipath, which will have to be approved by the government, is being sought in the middle of a firestorm of controversy and deepened the political divide over its impact on national security. The first modification of the scheme that the armed forces are planning to propose to the government is to raise the upper age limit from 21 to 23 to induct graduates who can be groomed for technical jobs in the three services. The second one is for the retention of at least 50% Agniveers in service, as against the current 25%, to hedge against a manpower crunch in specialised areas.
The capable youth will come forward to serve the country and announcements have been made to give priority to Agniveers in the private sector and paramilitary forces, the PM said. “Maybe some people had this mentality that the job of the armed forces was only to salute politicians. For us, the armed forces are a guarantee of national security,” he said.
At the time of its announcement, the government said the Agnipath scheme would lower the age profile of the armed forces, ensure a fitter military and create a technically skilled warfighting force capable of meeting future challenges. Then too, Agnipath sparked widespread protests and forced a concerted outreach by the government to scotch apprehensions about it.
“Those misleading the youth, their history shows they never cared about soldiers. They allocated a mere ₹500 crore for one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme. Our government implemented it fully and has disbursed around ₹1.25 lakh crore to veterans. They are the same people who never built a national war memorial for fallen heroes. They didn’t even give enough bullet-proof jackets to soldiers,” he said.
Agniveers are deployed at some of the forward positions in the Dras-Kargil-Batalik sector, the 170km mountain frontier along which the Kargil war was fought, and their performance is on a par with regular soldiers, senior officers said.
They are almost as young as the officer after whom the helipad is named: Captain Vijayant Thapar, who was posthumously honoured with Vir Chakra for his uncommon courage and leadership.
The plaque at the helipad reads, “On the night of 28/29 June 1999, Captain Vijayant Thapar, as company officer of ‘A’ Company, 2 Rajputana Rifles was tasked to capture Knoll and Lone Hill. During the ensuing battle, he led the assault on the enemy machine gun post and destroyed it. The officer succumbed to his injuries in this crucial battle...”
Sometime before the final assault, he penned his last letter to his parents.
“By the time you get this letter I will be observing you all from the sky enjoying the hospitality of apsaras. If I become a human again, I will join the army,” he wrote in that letter.
