Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly defended the Agnipath military recruitment scheme on Friday amid demands from the opposition and some NDA allies for its review. Speaking at a gathering in Ladakh's Dras on the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, PM Modi emphasized that the policy aims to rejuvenate the armed forces and maintain their readiness for war. The Congress, however, reiterated its demand to scrap the scheme introduced in 2022.
PM Modi accused the opposition of politicising a sensitive national security issue, addressing misconceptions that the scheme was designed to save on pension costs. "Some people are spreading the misconception that the government has brought this scheme to save pension money. The question of pension for today's recruits will arise after 30 years. Why would the government take a decision on it today? It should have left it to the governments of that time. We have respected this decision taken by the armed forces because we work for 'rashtraneeti', not 'rajneeti'," he stated.
About Agnipath Scheme
The Agnipath scheme recruits personnel into the Army, Navy and Air Force on a short-term contract of four years. Of the total annual recruits, only 25% are allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission. An internal BJP report even cited anger towards the Agnipath scheme as one of the reasons for the party's poor performance in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha polls.
PM Modi also criticised previous governments for neglecting soldiers and failing to implement the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, claiming that his government fulfilled that promise and provided over 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," he asserted, indirectly targeting the Congress.
Congress Reacts To PM Modi's Remarks
In response, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram argued that the Agnipath scheme does not enhance the armed forces' capacity and capability. "Agnipath scheme is a short-term induction into the armed forces without the necessary training and the benefits. A professional army going forward needs comprehensive training and a full commission," he stated.
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