Union Minister General VK Singh (retd) criticized Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday for his pledge to scrap the ‘Agnipath’ scheme if the INDIA alliance comes to power after the Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi had stated that an INDIA bloc government would “throw this Agniveer scheme in the dustbin.”
“I want to advise Rahul Gandhi that he must serve in the Indian army first and then make any statement about the Agniveer scheme. It is not right to say anything if he does not know the army,” Singh was quoted by ANI as saying.
The Narendra Modi government introduced the Agnipath recruitment scheme in 2022 to induct personnel into the armed forces on a short-term basis. The scheme aims to lower the age profile of the three services.
The Agnipath scheme recruits youngsters between the ages of 17 and a half to 21 for a four-year period, with a provision to retain 25% of them for an additional 15 years.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been actively campaigning against the scheme.
