Former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav on Monday continued their attack on the government and the BJP over the Agnipath recruitment scheme and the party leaders' “comments” on the schemes. Calling it “grossly unfair”, Mayawati said that the “sudden imposition of the scheme” is “affecting crores of youths and their families”. The BSP chief also linked the imposition of the scheme to demonetisation.
Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the “feeling of despair-frustration about the present” and the “fear-insecurity about the future” among the youth is proving “fatal” for the development of the country. He added that the opposition to the government shows that the “BJP has lost its support base”.
“Agnipath, the new army recruitment scheme of the centre, despite being linked to the security of the country and the self-respect and self-respect of the soldiers, the way BJP leaders are making rhetorical and unrestrained statements is grossly unfair. The narrow politics that create confusion among the public and difficulties for the army should be stopped immediately,” Mayawati wrote on Twitter.
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In a follow-up tweet, she added, “The new 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme, which has taken the country by surprise, is being imposed suddenly and in a hurry by the government, like demonetization and lockout, etc., due to which crores of youths and their families are affected. The government should also avoid arrogant attitudes towards them.”
{{/usCountry}}In a follow-up tweet, she added, “The new 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme, which has taken the country by surprise, is being imposed suddenly and in a hurry by the government, like demonetization and lockout, etc., due to which crores of youths and their families are affected. The government should also avoid arrogant attitudes towards them.”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted: “The feeling of despair-frustration about the present and fear-insecurity about the future among the youth of the country proves fatal for the development of the country. The responsibility of the government is to improve the present and shape the future of the country. The all-around opposition to the BJP government is showing that the BJP has lost its support base.”
The government introduced the Agnipath recruitment scheme on June 14 under which recruits - called 'as Agniveers' - will serve a four-year tour of duty after which 75 percent will be retired without benefits. The scheme has triggered massive protests across the country with several incidents of violence being reported from over 10 states. A day after the government on Sunday said that the scheme will not be rolled back, several groups have called for a nationwide shutdown - Bharat Bandh - on Monday.
As the protests escalated, several states have announced reservations for 'Agniveers' after their four-year service in the armed forces. Meanwhile, some BJP-ruled states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Karnataka have promised jobs to Agniveers in the state departments.