Agnipath scheme ‘injustice’ to army: Rahul condoles death of 2 Agniveers

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre over the recent death of two Agniveers in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, and said the Agnipath scheme is an “injustice” to the army.
Two Indian Army Agniveers lost their lives after an artillery shell burst during a firing exercise in Nashik district.
Referring to the mishap, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said, “The demise of two Agniveers during a training in Nashik is a painful incident. My deepest condolences to their families. This incident once again raises serious questions on the Agnipath scheme, to which the BJP government has failed to answer.”
Gandhi also posed a volley of questions to the government over the matter.
“Will the families of these deceased receive timely compensation that is equivalent to the compensation for any other martyred soldier? Why will the families of Agniveers not get the benefits of pension and other government facilities? When the responsibilities and sacrifices of both the soldiers are the same, then why this discrimination after their martyrdom?” he questioned.
Asserting that the Agnipath scheme is an injustice to the army and an insult to the martyrdom of the brave soldiers, he said, “The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the Defence Minister (Rajnath Singh) should answer why the life of one soldier is more valuable than that of another soldier?”
“Let us stand together against this injustice. Join our ‘Jai Jawan’ movement today to remove the BJP government’s Agnipath scheme and secure the future of the country’s youth and the army,” he added.
The Congress, during the Lok Sabha elections, had promised to scrap the Agnipath scheme.
Agencies