The Opposition pushed for the removal of the Agnipath military recruitment scheme on Sunday, with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra calling to the youth to recognise “false nationalists” and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav questioning whether the RSS had a “hidden goal” behind it.
Priyanka said the Congress supports the “battle” of the youth, who should fight to come to power a government that represents “real patriots,” during a’satyagraha’ against the project at Jantar Mantar.
“Use democratic measures to overthrow this dictatorship, on the road of truth and nonviolence.” “You should work hard to bring in an administration that demonstrates true patriotism,” she advised.
Priyanka, on the other hand, advised the protesters to refrain from violence since “this country and its properties belong to you.”
AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Lok Sabha MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi, Rajya Sabha MPs Deepender Singh Hooda and Jairam Ramesh, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh, and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot were among the senior Congress leaders who addressed the gathering.
Unrest over the Agnipath scheme, according to Assam MP Gogoi, has ramifications for national security, as “unemployed youth are already joining organisations like the ULFA.”
According to Hooda, the government has disregarded the hard work of young hopefuls by modifying the armed forces recruiting process. Attempts to explain Agnipath by drawing comparisons with the recruitment strategy used in nations such as Israel, he argued, were flimsy because India’s socioeconomic circumstances are different.
The scheme, according to Pilot, amounts to “playing with the feelings of the youth.” Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who was also present at the rally, said the satyagraha must extend across the country to force the government to reverse the scheme’s implementation.
Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, speaking at a press conference in Delhi, questioned whether the RSS is behind the initiative, which has “caused many concerns in the minds of the youth.”
“Is this an MNREGA scheme for educated youth, or is there a secret RSS goal at work?” You are all aware that after four years, 75% of the recruited youth will be removed. Only 25% of the population will survive. The likelihood of being unemployed as a result of this strategy is very high. “The same folks who promised the One Rank One Pension system delivered no rank and no pension,” he claimed.
According to Tejashwi, the government is blaming the opposition for the protests on purpose. “You create promises, get to power, and then blame the opposition when protests erupt because of your failures.” In Bihar, they have their own government. What is their administration doing if we are inciting people? Even during the farm protests, they adopted the same technique of attacking the opponents. The opposition’s role is to ask questions, and the government’s job is to respond. He stated, “We have never promoted violence because it never solves anything.”
“Why are they still the government then?” Tejashwi asked, referring to JDU’s criticism of the government. They consider their own government to be a failure. It’s never happened before anyplace.”