Kharge Accuses PM Modi Of 'Petty Politics' On Kargil Vijay Diwas

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of engaging in "petty politics" on Kargil Vijay Diwas.

This criticism followed PM's address at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, where he targeted the Opposition for slamming the Agnipath scheme, accusing them of attempting to weaken the Army.

Kharge expressed his disapproval on X, stating, "It is very unfortunate and deplorable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is doing petty politics even on occasions like paying tribute to martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas. No Prime Minister has ever done this before."

He also called Modi's claim that the government implemented the Agnipath scheme at the behest of the Army "a blatant lie" and an "unforgivable insult to our valiant Armed Forces."

Kharge further added, "Modi ji, it is you who are spreading LIES! Former Army Chief (Retd.) General MM Naravane has said on record that 75% of recruits were to be taken for permanency in the 'Agnipath Scheme' and 25% of people were to be let go after 4 years. But the Modi Govt did the opposite, and forcibly implemented this scheme for all three Armed Forces."

Kharge cited news reports claiming that General MM Naravane's unpublished book, stalled by the Modi government, describes the Agnipath scheme as "shocking" for the Army and a "bolt out of the blue" for the Navy and Air Force.

He highlighted that several retired officers have strongly criticised Agnipath, asserting it endangers national security and the aspirations of rural youth. These officers have demanded the scheme be completely scrapped, noting that Agniveers do not receive pensions, gratuity, family pensions, liberalised family pensions, or education allowances for their children.

The Agnipath scheme, announced in June 2022, recruits personnel to the Indian armed forces for four years. At the end of this period, up to 25% of recruits, called Agniveers, may join the services on a permanent commission subject to merit and other requirements.

What PM Modi Said

During his address at the Kargil War Memorial, Modi slammed the Opposition for misleading the youth of the country regarding the Agnipath scheme.

"This shows that they do not care about the soldiers," he remarked.

Modi also defended his government's achievements, stating, "These are the same people who lied about One Rank One Pension. It is our government that implemented One Rank One Pension and gave more than Rs 1.25 lakh crore to ex-servicemen. These are the same people who did not build a war memorial... These are the same people who did not provide adequate bulletproof jackets to our soldiers deployed on the border. These are the people who tried to weaken our army."

Modi also took jabs at Pakistan, saying the country "has not learned anything from history" and continues to rely on "terrorism and proxy war" to keep itself relevant.