Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 8: The national spokesperson of the Congress, Ajay Upadhay, today accused the Bharatiya Janata Party Government of shattering the dreams of around 1.5 lakh youths in the country with the ambitious Agnipath Scheme.
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Addressing a press conference in Srinagar headquarters of the party, the spokesperson said that unemployment has become a nationwide disease, affecting the entire country.
“The youth of the country are facing the highest unemployment rate in 45 years. The Modi Government has shattered the dreams of 1.5 lakh youths selected in the army, and the biggest crime of the Government is not enlisting these youths,” he said.
He said that despite undergoing gruelling mental and physical tests under regular recruitment processes, these hopeful individuals have seen their aspirations dashed by the implementation of the Agnipath Scheme.
He said that the party has launched the nationwide “Jai Jawan” campaign to save the youth. “The nationwide ‘Jai Jawan’ campaign, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, aims to highlight the plight of these young men and women who were denied their rightful positions in the armed forces,” he explained.
With demands to reinstate the old recruitment system, scrap the Agnipath scheme, and provide permanent status to all Agniveers inducted into the forces, the campaign seeks justice for those affected.”
He further said the campaign unfolds phase by phase, with mass contact initiatives, satyagraha movements, and padayatras planned to raise awareness and garner support for the cause.
“Despite the Government’s promises of military benefits, the reality remains grim for these aspiring recruits, who are facing uncertainty and insecurity in their pursuit of a career in the armed forces,” he said.
He said the former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane (retd) has weighed in, stating that the Agnipat Scheme has proven detrimental to the armed forces’ integrity, with retention rates plummeting and aspirations crushed. “The financial burden placed on these hopeful recruits, with millions deposited for examinations that never materialized, further exacerbates the injustice inflicted upon them,” he concluded.
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