Agnipath: AAP MP writes to Defence Minister, seeks fast rollback of scheme

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Saturday urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to “immediately” roll again the Agnipath scheme and resume the common technique of recruitment for defence providers for the present 12 months, saying the brand new recruitment plan has “justifiably” brought on “great anguish” among the many potential recruits throughout the nation.

In a letter to the Defence Minister, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief listed a number of deficiencies within the Agnipath scheme and mentioned it negates “regimental honour” and “erodes the quality of our troops”.

“Unity and coordination amongst troops is what drives our armed forces towards excellence, and with a shorter duration spent with their peers, we are sacrificing the spirit of the forces,” he mentioned.

It is the ethos of the regiment that hold jawans united and decided, he mentioned, including, “Any recruitment scheme should respect the regimental honour and ethos constructed into the system which has been bringing laurels to the nation.

” Chadha mentioned the Union authorities, whereas formulating the Agnipath scheme, “failed” to understand {that a} jawan helps not solely himself however his household as properly.

“Only individuals with courage and peace of mind can serve the armed forces. A jawan that is busy contemplating career moves or wondering how his family will survive after his tenure of four years is over, will find it harder to serve our country,” he mentioned.

An “ill-motivated soldier” is definitely an avoidable proposition, he added.

The AAP MP mentioned the brand new recruitment scheme has “overlooked” the problems of insufficient skilling.

“The Agnipath scheme allows for Agniveers to undergo a crash course in training of six months. An abnormally short period of training will have adverse consequences on the quality of service discharged,” he contended.

He mentioned the scheme permits for greenhorns to face the nation’s best safety challenges.

“Resultantly, we will be saddled without sufficient leadership and experience amongst the troops,” he added.

ALSO READ | Agnipath: All it is advisable find out about Army recruitment scheme that has India on the boil

Chadha mentioned the Union authorities’s monetary obligations in the direction of the defence pension invoice shouldn’t be offset by sacrificing the job safety of the jawans.

“We cannot shy away from our collective responsibility to give those who protect our borders a life of dignity. It is the least we can do for our jawans. This cannot be our solution to budgetary woes,” he mentioned, including, “Lives cannot be put at stake to balance the budget.”

Noting that the scheme has been introduced in with out first implementing it as a pilot, the AAP MP mentioned such “experiments” shouldn’t be imposed “en masse”.

“Pilot schemes, preferably outside of the armed forces, would have provided an opportunity to deliberate before deciding,” he argued.

A consultative train might have adopted thereafter to keep away from “national embarrassment” and despair amongst the youth, he added.

AAP MP mentioned the Union authorities ought to begin with “an immediate” rollback, and a resumption of the common recruitment course of for the present 12 months, paying attention to the factors that he has raised.

“With all humility at my command, I implore you to roll back the Agnipath scheme, to stop this ‘trial by fire’ of the youth of the country,” Chadha mentioned in his letter to the Defence Minister.

The rollback of the scheme ought to give the Union authorities “sufficient time” to rethink and seek the advice of the aspirants “who are affected the most by this sudden decision”, he mentioned.

“We are experiencing a great deficit in new recruits, and shortcuts that put our jawans at risk cannot be the solution. We cannot make the opportunity to serve the country in the armed forces a secondary option for anyone,” the AAP chief added.