NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, upped the ante on Monday over the Agnipath scheme by launching a scathing attack at the ruling BJP in poll-bound Haryana.
Addressing a roadshow in Haryana’s Ambala, Rahul Gandhi vehemently criticised the BJP for rolling out the Agnipath scheme which the Congress scion said would “strip” the Agniveers (candidates enrolled under Agnipath scheme) of pension only to “benefit” industrialist Gautam Adani.
Rahul Gandhi said Agniveers “should not be in misconception” as the scheme is only the mechanism to “steal away” their pension.
“Normal jawan will be entitled to pension for all his life….but those with Agniveer tag will not get pension…which means money has been snatched from Agniveer’s pocket…it has gone to Adani’s pocket,” said the Congress leader, who led party’s “Vijay Sankalp Yatra” in Ambala.
He further said: “Agniveer has been rolled out to help Adani. Agniveer’s truth is that Narendra Modiji wants to snatch pension from India’s army men”.
Stepping up his attack on PM Modi-led central government, the Rae Bareli MP said the government “intends” to “snatch away pension, future and martyr status” from Agniveers.
‘Rahul Gandhi machine of telling lies’
While this is not the first time when Rahul Gandhi chose to corner the BJP over the Agnipath scheme, the BJP has promised government jobs with pensions to Haryana youths joining the armed forces through the Agnipath scheme.
“Join the forces with passion. Haryana and the Indian government will give jobs with a pension to all the Agniveers of Haryana,” the Union home minister Amit Shah said a few days ago in Rewari, asserting “Pakki pension wali sarkari naukri (government jobs with pension)”.
On September 29, Union Amit Shah while addressing public in Haryana’s Badshahpur, again attacked Rahul Gandhi, calling him a “machine of telling lies”.
“Rahul Gandhi is a machine of telling lies. He says that the government has come up with the Agniveer scheme so that the youth do not have to be given pension. But the reality is that the Agniveer scheme has been made to keep our army young,” Amit Shah said.
The Union home minister further said: “I want to tell the mothers and sisters that do not hesitate at all while sending your children to the army, the Haryana government and the government of India will provide a pensionable job to every Agniveer of Haryana”.
Earlier on September 23, Amit Shah also accused Rahul of “misleading the youth regarding the Agnipath scheme and said, “About Agniveer, Rahul Baba is misguiding the youths. I am firm in what I say, and today I am saying that none of the Agniveer of Haryana will be left (without jobs with pensions).”
Quota for Haryana Agniveers
In July, CM Nayab Singh Saini-led Haryana government announced a 10 per cent reservation for Agniveers in certain government jobs.
CM Saini said the state government will provide 10 percent horizontal (lateral) reservation to Agniveers in Haryana in direct recruitment to the posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden and SPO.
Besides job reservations, the state government has decided to give Agniveers three to five years of age relaxation and interest-free loans of up to Rs 5 lakh for self-employment.
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