Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a blistering attack on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the contentious Agniveer scheme.
Taking to the social media platform X, Gandhi said that Singh had lied on the floor of the Parliament over the Agniveer scheme. Singh, who had interjected Gandhi's maiden speech in the Lok Sabha, had said that the latter was deliberately misleading the House and that every martyr in the Indian Army, who comes under this scheme, gets a compensation of over Rs 1 crore.
"Protection of truth is the basis of every religion! But Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lied in Parliament about the assistance given to the family of martyred Agniveer," Gandhi wrote on Wednesday.
He further shared a video which contained a short interview of Shaheed Ajay Singh's father who has claimed that the family of the slain soldier had received no compensation from the central government.
Earlier this year, Ajay Singh, a young solder in the Indian army, lost his life in a landmine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Agnipath Scheme, introduced in 2022, allows selected candidates to join the Indian Armed Forces for a four-year tenure. Upon completing this period, candidates may apply for permanent positions based on the organizational needs and Armed Forces policies. Up to 25% of these candidates may be enrolled as regular cadres.
Individuals selected under the Agnipath Scheme are called Agniveers. According to the government, this scheme offers patriotic and motivated youth aged 17.5 to 21 the opportunity to serve in the Armed Forces for four years.
Rahul Gandhi took on the Defence Minister again today, alleging he lied in Parliament about the support provided to the family of a martyred Agniveer. Gandhi claimed that the father of martyr Ajay Singh exposed these lies and demanded an apology from the Defence Minister to Parliament, the country, the Army, and the family.
Gandhi, a consistent critic of the Agnipath Scheme, had reiterated his disapproval of the Agnipath scheme during his maiden speech as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He had accused the government of creating a divide between soldiers by providing pensions to some and not to others, stating, "Agniveer is a use-and-throw labor. One jawan is getting a pension, while another is not. You are creating a divide between jawans."
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had refuted Gandhi's allegations, accusing him of spreading misinformation. Singh had emphasized that the government compensates the families of Agniveer martyrs with Rs 1 crore.
Gandhi also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming the Agnipath Scheme was implemented without proper consultation, as a directive from the Prime Minister's Office.
In his speech, which caused significant commotion in Parliament, Gandhi addressed various issues, including the crisis in Manipur, farmer concerns, demonetization, and the Agniveer Scheme.