Like farm bill, PM has to rollback 'Agnipath': Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, Jun 18: Stepping up attack on the NDA government over 'Agnipath' scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the Modi-government has been insulting the armed forces and farmers of the country for the last eight years.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to withdraw the farm laws, he will have to accept the demand of the youth and rollback the 'Agnipath' defence recruitment scheme. In a tweet in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi said, "I had said earlier also that the prime minister will have to withdraw the black farm laws." "In the same manner, he will have to accept the demand of the youth of the country by becoming 'maafiveer' and take back the 'Agnipath' scheme," he said.

The former Congress chief also said that for eight consecutive years, the BJP government has "insulted" the values of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged the Centre to understand the pain of the rural youth preparing for recruitment in the armed forces.

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Understand the pain of the rural youth preparing for Army recruitment. No recruitment for the past three years. They have blisters on their feet due to running continuously, they are desperate." Youths were waiting for the Airforce recruitment results and appointments, she said. "The government took away their permanent recruitment, rank, pension and stalled recruitment," Priyanka Gandhi alleged.

She also posted a copy of a letter she wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in March over delays in recruitment in the armed forces. Gandhi had urged Singh to take necessary steps to ensure that the hard work of aspirants is respected. In her letter dated March 29, Priyanka Gandhi had flagged the problems being faced by youths in recruitment in the armed forces.

The Centre on Tuesday youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure while 25 per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service. The upper age limit was raised to 23 years on Thursday as the protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force spread.

PTI