Recently, the central government announced the Agnipath scheme under which aspirants aged between 17-and-a-half years and 23 years will be recruited on a four-year contractual basis across the three services. (File)Agnipath Protests Live Updates: A week after violent protests against the Agnipath recruitment scheme rocked several states, the selection procedure in the Indian Air Force (IAF) under the said scheme began Friday with the opening of the registration window. “Registration window to apply for #Agniveervayu is operational from 10 am today,” the IAF said on Twitter.
Chairing the one-day national executive meeting of the Indian Youth Congress, the outfit’s president Srinivas BV claimed that the Agnipath scheme will “ruin the future” of the youth. He stressed that the Youth Congress will continue to protest peacefully till the government withdraws the military recruitment scheme. “Every soldier of Rahul Gandhi will fight for the youth of this country on all issues, including Agnipath, and will succeed,” Srinivas said.
Attacking the BJP over the scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the ruling party has “broken the dream” of lakhs of youth to serve the country and asserted that a storm will rise from their tears that will break Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “arrogance of power”. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi posted a video of a young man in tears expressing anguish over having lost the chance to join the armed forces. “There has not been any recruitment in the armed forces for the last two years. 2018-19: 53,431; 2019-20: 80,572; 2020-21: 0; 2021-22: 0,” the former Congress chief said.
The BJP lawyers wing on Thursday staged a demonstration near district court here condemning those misguiding the youths on Agnipath scheme. The lawyers held banners stating “anti-nationals are misguiding and intimidating the youths” against the scheme. They also raised slogans in support of the scheme.
On June 27, the Congress will protest in the entire state and in each Assembly constituency. (ANI/File)
The recruitment process in the Indian Air Force under the Agnipath scheme got underway on Friday with the opening of the registration window, a week after violent protests rocked several states.
“Registration window to apply for #Agniveervayu is operational from 10 am today,” the IAF said on Twitter.
Unveiling the Agnipath scheme on June 14, the government had said youth between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure, while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service. Read more
Tripura Left trade unions Friday organised a rally demanding the rollback of the Agnipath scheme, which is facing protests across the country for the past few days.
Former Tripura transport minister and Centre of Trade Union (CITU) state president Manik Dey said people are protesting across the country against the Agnipath scheme since it is against national security interests. Read more
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday shared a tweet by Param Vir Chakra awardee Capt Bana Singh criticising the Agnipath scheme for military recruitment and asked whether only "friends" will be heard 'new India' and not heroes.
Sharing the tweet, he also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying on one side is his arrogance and dictatorship and on the other is the country's 'Paramvir'. Last week, violent protests against the Agnipath scheme rocked several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana, while peaceful agitations were held in several places. "On one side is the country's Paramvir and on the other is the arrogance and dictatorship of the prime minister.
In 'New India', will only 'friends' be heard and not the heroes of the country," Gandhi asked in a tweet in Hindi, while sharing a screenshot of Capt Bana Singh's tweet. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also shared the screenshot of Capt Bana Singh's tweet. PTI
The BJP lawyers wing on Thursday staged a demonstration near district court here condemning those misguiding the youths on Agnipath scheme. The lawyers held banners stating "anti-nationals are misguiding and intimidating the youths" against the scheme.
They also raised slogans in support of the scheme. (PTI)
The CPI(M) has alleged that through the "Agnipath" scheme, the BJP-led Centre is fulfilling Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's goal of "militarising Hindu society" and serving the purpose of the corporations that are getting into defence production projects.
According to the latest editorial in party mouthpiece "People's Democracy", there is a deeper aspect of the Agnipath scheme for military recruitment, which makes the plan more dangerous for the armed forces and the society.
"The Agnipath scheme has to be seen as part of the larger project to re-shape the Indian State and its institutions in the Hindutva image. Like the other arms of the State, the Hindutva rulers are going about the restructuring of the armed forces based on their ideological perspective. "The fact that several thousand demobilised soldiers with arms training will join the society every year would go some way in fulfilling Savarkar's goal of militarising Hindu society," the editorial said.
It also said the way the criteria for appointment to the post of chief of defence staff (CDS) has been widened has opened the way for greater politicisation of the higher defence leadership of the armed forces. (PTI)
Chairing the one-day national executive meeting of the Indian Youth Congress, the outfit's president Srinivas BV claimed that the Agnipath scheme will "ruin the future" of the youth.
He stressed that the Youth Congress will continue to protest peacefully till the government withdraws the military recruitment scheme.
"Every soldier of Rahul Gandhi will fight for the youth of this country on all issues, including Agnipath, and will succeed," Srinivas said. IYC National Joint Secretary Krishna Allavaru said the outfit stands firmly with the youth across the country against the Agnipath scheme. (PTI)