Congress says Agnipath scheme must go, cites national security

• Congress demands scrapping of Agnipath, alleging the scheme has weakened national security.

• Party seeks retrospective benefits for retained Agniveers and lifelong pensions for families of those killed in action.

• Fresh demands follow Centre's decision to extend the initial engagement of Agniveers by two years.

The Congress on Friday, 6 November demanded the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme, alleging that it had weakened the country's national security and calling for the restoration of regular recruitment into the armed forces.

The Opposition party also demanded that the 25 per cent of Agniveers selected for regular service be granted all the benefits of regular soldiers retrospectively, from the date of their initial recruitment under the scheme.

The demands come two days after the government announced changes to the scheme, under which Agniveers completing their initial four-year tenure would be offered a two-year extension, followed by an opportunity for permanent recruitment, subject to specified eligibility criteria.

The changes were announced on Wednesday by chief of defence staff General N.S. Raja Subramani, shortly after the Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved recommendations made by the three services following an exhaustive review of the recruitment scheme.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress ex-servicemen department head Colonel (retd) Rohit Chaudhry said the Modi government had imposed the Agnipath scheme on the armed forces four years ago despite the chiefs of all three services having stated that they had not recommended it.

"This was a scheme that weakened our country's security. Ever since this scheme was introduced, under the leadership of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party's ex-servicemen department and all the party's justice warriors have fought a battle to end this scheme and ran the 'Jai-Jawan Campaign' across the entire country," he said.

Chaudhry claimed that the scheme had left the Army with a shortage of more than two lakh soldiers and shattered the aspirations of 1.5 lakh candidates who had cleared recruitment processes for the Army and Air Force but were still awaiting their joining letters.

"Due to the Modi government's Tughlaqi decree, the dreams of 1.5 lakh children were shattered — those who had been recruited into the Army and Air Force and were awaiting their joining," he said. "The Agniveer scheme is against the country's security. We must scrap this scheme and recruit regular soldiers."

Chaudhry said the Congress had consistently opposed the scheme through its 'Jai-Jawan Campaign', but the government's latest decision indicated that it was now under pressure as the first batch of Agniveers approached the end of its four-year tenure. He pointed out that 75 per cent of recruits would otherwise have to leave the armed forces after completing their initial engagement.

The chief of defence staff announced the Cabinet-approved changes on 4 November, under which those not selected for regular service after four years would receive a two-year extension. At the end of six years, they would be considered for permanent recruitment, subject to the prescribed selection criteria, Chaudhry said.

The Congress leader also claimed that more than 40 Agniveers had died by suicide, attributing the deaths to distress arising from the scheme, discrimination and service conditions. "We saw very few such cases during our service, but what is happening now is tragic. Actually, the Modi government has become scared because of the elections, so it is now talking about extending the Agniveer scheme by two years," he said.

Questioning why the government had opted for an extension rather than regular recruitment, Chaudhry asked: "But the question is — why only a two-year extension, why not make it permanent?"

Listing the party's demands, he said Agniveers selected for regular service should receive all benefits available to regular soldiers, with retrospective effect from the date of their recruitment.

He also demanded 90 days of annual leave for Agniveers, on par with regular soldiers, and said they should be allowed to marry during their service, describing it as a fundamental right. Those who had been medically boarded out should be given an opportunity for re-mustering, he added.

Chaudhry further demanded that the families of Agniveers killed in the line of duty receive the same benefits and lifelong pension as the families of regular soldiers. "Agniveers are paid only Rs 40,000 a month compared to regular soldiers. The country must be given an account of where the money for their other benefits has gone," he said.

Announcing the launch of 'Jai Jawan — Part 2', Chaudhry said the Congress would continue its campaign until the Agnipath scheme was scrapped.

Introduced in June 2022, the Agnipath scheme provides for the recruitment of soldiers for an initial four-year tenure, with up to 25 per cent of each batch eligible for retention in regular service. The remaining recruits are discharged with a Seva Nidhi package. The latest changes come just over three weeks before around 18,300 Agniveers are scheduled to complete their four-year tenure and leave the armed forces by 31 December.

With PTI inputs