Modi, Congress debate over Agnipath scheme on Kargil War Diwas
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on the Agnipath scheme during Kargil War Diwas have ignited a row. Earlier in the day, the PM accused the Congress of spreading misinformation about the Agnipath scheme to deter young people from joining short-term military service. The Congress hit back saying that the scheme does not solve the needs of the army. The party added that the army should not be politicized.
Why does this story matter?
Initiated in 2022, the Agnipath scheme aims to reduce the age profile of India's armed forces by recruiting personnel aged 17.5 to 21 for short-term military service. These recruits, called Agniveers, serve on four-year contracts, with 25% of each batch retained for an additional 15 years. However, Agniveers currently do not receive regular benefits like family pensions if they die during service. The scheme seeks to rejuvenate the armed forces while managing the long-term benefits and pension liabilities.
PM Modi defends Agnipath scheme
During his address at the Kargil War Memorial, PM Modi said, "They [the Congress] are saying that the Agniveer Scheme has been floated to save on pensions by Narendra Modi." He defended the scheme, stating it aims to rejuvenate the armed forces and keep them continually fit for war. "The Agnipath scheme will increase the strength of the country and capable youth will also come forward to serve," he added.
PM hits out at opposition
In his address, the PM attacked the opposition, saying, "This shows that they do not care about the soldiers...These are the same people who lied about One Rank One Pension. It is our government which implemented One Rank One Pension, gave more than ₹1.25 lakh crore to ex-servicemen." "These are the same people who did not build a war memorial...These are the people who tried to weaken our army," the PM added.
Congress leaders criticize Agnipath scheme
Congress leader Karti Chidambaram criticized PM Modi for defending the Agnipath scheme "Agniveer scheme should be scrapped. Modern warfare requires fully-trained soldiers, and the scheme does not give full-trained soldiers," Chidambaram told NDTV. He further stated that the Indian Army should not be politicized and that they salute the army, not vice versa. Additionally, Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa questioned what will happen to the Agniveers after their four-year service term ends.
Congress's opposition to Agnipath scheme
The Congress has repeatedly called for the abolition of the Agnipath scheme, which sparked protests in 2022. Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had labeled the scheme a risk to national security and an insult to the Indian Army. He had pledged to scrap the Agniveer scheme if the Congress was voted into power, adding that it was PM Modi's initiative and that the Army never desired it.
