Rahul seeks President’s intervention against ‘discrimination’ in Agnipath scheme

New Delhi: Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi wrote to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, requesting intervention to repeal the Agnipath scheme, a day before the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

A copy of the letter shared on the Congress’s social media handle on X cites the landmine blast in J&K’s Rajouri district in which Agniveer Ajay Singh was killed in January this year. 

In a letter to Murmu, Gandhi said there was ‘discrimination’ in the nature and extent of benefits given to the families of slain soldiers.

He raised questions against the Agnipath scheme, asking, “Is this discrimination against our martyrs not a risk to our national security?”…Is it not a grave injustice to our youth who bravely risk their lives to serve? Do we not owe a duty to ensure the well-being of Ajay’s parents, his sisters, and other families like them?” he wrote.

Highlighting what he calls fundamental flaws in the Agnipath scheme, Gandhi wrote, “There can be no clearer illustration of the fundamental flaw in the Agnipath scheme—the creation of a lesser cadre of soldiers who are expected to work on similar tasks with lower pay, benefits, and prospects.”

Citing the landmine blast in which Singh (23) of Ludhiana, Punjab, was killed and two other soldiers were injured, Gandhi mentioned, “Poor families like Ajay’s are left with little respite despite their children’s ultimate sacrifice.”

“This is why the Congress party and the INDIA allies have strongly opposed the Agnipath scheme and have promised to repeal it if we form the government,” the letter further reads.

“Despite Ajay’s dream to serve his country, his hard work, and highest sacrifice, his family is denied the respect and recognition, which other soldiers get, only because he is an Agniveer,” Gandhi said.

“Therefore, I appeal to you to use your distinguished office to do nyaay - justice to Agniveer soldiers who lay down their lives, by ensuring that they receive the same benefits as any soldier who makes the highest sacrifice for our motherland,” Gandhi wrote.

In a rally in Patiala on 29th May, Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Agnoveer scheme and said it would scrapped if Congress comes to power. “PM Modi wants two types of martyrs—one who gets compensation, pension, and martyr status, and the second (enrolled under the Agniveer scheme), who is poor and gets nothing. It is an insult to the Indian Army. PM Modi has turned our soldiers akin to laborers. We will scrap it (Agniveer scheme) and throw it into the dustbin. This is PM Modi’s scheme; the Army never wanted it.”

Earlier, Congress called the Agnipath scheme a “national security threat” which could compromise the country’s security for the next decade.

The Agnipath scheme has been controversial since its announcement in June 2022. It was implemented in September 2022, and since then, two batches have completed their training.

The central government has repeatedly countered by saying that the decision was taken to bring down the age profile of personnel in the army. It proposes to recruit personnel in the age bracket of 17.5 to 21 years for four years, and out of all the recruits in a batch, 25% will be promoted and retained for 15 years.