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Will support Bihar bandh against Agnipath scheme, says BJP ally Jitan Manjhi
Agnipath protest: Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal said he will give a statement on the protests after tracking for 24 hours more how the police tackle the anti-social elements and opposition workers trying to fan trouble by spreading rumours
Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday announced that his party will support the Bihar bandh called for Saturday by students’ organisations against the central government’s Agnipath scheme.
Manjhi, who heads the Hindustan Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) which supports the BJP-led national coalition, said his party didn’t support the violence but decided to back the bandh call “in the interest of the nation and the youth”.
“We are with the nation’s youth. Though we do not support any form of violence but in the interest of the nation and the youth, HAM-S has decided to support Bihar bandh call,” Manjhi said in a post on Twitter in Hindi.
The 77-year-old politician was among the first NDA leaders in Bihar on Thursday to unequivocally call for rolling back the scheme, describing it as a “dangerous step”.
The protesters were angry with changes introduced under the new scheme, particularly the length of service, and no pension provisions for those released early. The government on Thursday evening granted a two-year age relaxation for the short-term recruitment of soldiers in the defence services through a one-time waiver that makes those who are 23 eligible for a career in the military for the next round of recruitment.
But the protesters were back on the streets and railway tracks on Friday morning.
Danapur divisional railway manager Prabhat Kumar said at least 50 coaches and seven locomotives were damaged in Friday’s violence. The loss to railways was to the tune of ₹90 crore for burnt coaches, ₹61 crore for locomotive engines and a commercial loss of ₹7 crore.
Leaders of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JD-U) have also distanced themselves from the new recruitment scheme and suggested that the Centre revisit its decision.
JD-U national presidential Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh on Friday spoke about the “serious doubts and fears” about the Agnipath scheme among students and advised the Centre to take students into confidence.
“At a time when there is acute joblessness and regular army recruitment is stalled for two years, the new scheme with no job security has pushed them into despair. The government must rethink it,” he added.
Bihar energy minister and senior JD-U leader Bijendra Prasad Yadav said the agitation didn’t have anything to do with the state government and suggested that the Centre should talk with the aspirants. “This is a matter related to the Centre and it should find a solution to it by talking to the youth. We don’t have any need to comment on it,” Yadav said.
Raju Yadav, convenor of the Army Recruitment Jawan Morcha, which has been coordinating protests with other student groups such as AISA and INOS, said the Bihar bandh was the first step.
“After Bihar bandh, we will give a call for ‘Bharat bandh’, as this issue has riled the youth across the nation,” Yadav told reporters
“How can youth be retired from service after just four years when they will need the job the most? We urge all the people and political parties to extend their support to the call for ‘Bihar bandh’,” he said.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Bihar presidential Jagdanand Singh said his party will extend moral support, not active support, to the students.
“The Centre is playing with the future of the youth. People may have differences in the means adopted by the students to vent their ire, but nobody can dispute their demands. The old rules should be followed for army recruitment and the Agnipath scheme should be withdrawn,” the RJD leader said, adding the agitation cannot be brushed aside by labelling it as one by disgruntled elements.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders believe that the authorities could have done more to control the protests but was “allowed to be hijacked by anti-social elements and vested interests from opposition parties to give it a violent turn”.
“We are going to watch for 24 more hours how the police tackle the anti-social elements and party workers trying to fan trouble by spreading rumours. After that, I will give a statement,” said Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal.
“At present, we are observing how RJD goons have been given a field day to operate in the name of students’ agitation and how a misconception is being spread about a good scheme that will create employment opportunities for youth, not just in the armed forces, but also beyond it,” Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal, whose house was attacked by a mob on Friday, said goons were been brought in from other places to attack BJP leaders’ houses. “We also have visuals of RJD goons wearing headgear giving a wrong direction to the students’ agitation. We will talk to the students and explain the schemes to them. What the police have to do is for the home secretary and the DGP to explain, not me. We are watching it,” he added.
Rahway Sabha MP and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the Bihar government should also come forward and announce priority to ‘Agniveers’ for state jobs on the lines of other BJP-ruled states. “The youth should not be misled by vested interests, who want to politicise the issue, and damage national property. They should not allow anti-socials to take advantage of the situation and the administration must act sternly against them,” he added.
