One who wants to serve country will never become Agniveer: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow, Nov 24: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday criticised the Agnipath military recruitment scheme and said that someone who wanted to serve the country would "never want to become Agniveer".

The Samajwadi Party chief, during a campaign ahead of Mainpuri by-poll, said the Centre is saving budget through the scheme. "One who wants to serve the country will never want to become Agniveer. Recruitments were done in Farrukhabad, but no one got a job. The government is saying that it is saving the budget through these schemes, but when the country itself will not survive, how can the budget survive," ANI quoted Akhilesh as saying.

He was speaking at Ex-Servicemen Conference in poll-bound Mainpuri. "I am hopeful that our party workers are working, our leaders are working hard and if you support us, there will be no worries for us. The people believe that when you say something, they trust you," he told the gathering.

The Mainpuri seat fell vacant following the demise of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. The by-poll is scheduled to be held on December 5.

Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav is contesting from the seat, which is a prestigious seat for the Yadav family.

Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's uncle and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) chief, Jaya Bachchan and Azam Khan are among the star campaigners in the upcoming poll.