Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress made a bold pledge on Monday, vowing to scrap the controversial Agnipath scheme and revert to the previous system of armed services recruitment if voted to power. This announcement came shortly after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge sent a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, reiterating grave concerns regarding the implications of the new scheme, which not only shortens tenure but also reduces service benefits.
Introduced amid protests in 2022, the Agnipath program aims to bolster military recruitment by offering four-year contracts, thereby aiming to decrease the average age of the armed forces. However, the Congress party views this initiative as counterproductive.
In a joint press conference with Member of Parliament Deepender Hooda, Congress leader Sachin Pilot highlighted the party”s stance, describing the Agnipath scheme as a politically motivated cost-cutting maneuver. He asserted that such measures have impacted the strength of the army.
Pilot raised poignant questions, juxtaposing the government”s lavish expenditures on various projects and events, such as the G-20 summit (Rs 4100 crore), the Prime Minister”s aircraft (Rs 4800 crore), the Central Vista project (Rs 20,000 crore), and extensive advertising campaigns, against the backdrop of allegedly compromising the recruitment process to save costs. He pointed out the potential risks such actions pose to India”s security and integrity
“Our defence expenditure is increasing…it was recently said that we are earning a lot of money through defence exports…that we are becoming independent and doing indigenous manufacturing. If our defence department is generating so much income, and we are becoming so capable, then the most important thing would be to make resources available for the jobs, recruitment, and families of our brave soldiers available,” said Pilot at the press meet.
Hooda said that there was no genuine demand from any quarters—neither the army nor its leadership, the youth, nor any political party—for the Agnipath scheme. He pointed out a concerning trend of declining army recruitment, citing a drop from an average of 60-65,000 per year to a mere 45,000 Agniveer recruits in the past year alone. Expressing alarm, he warned that if this trend persists, the army”s strength, currently standing at 1.4 million, could dwindle to 800,000 within a decade.
In a scathing critique, Hooda highlighted the government”s failure to fulfill its electoral promise of “One Rank, One Pension,” instead implementing what he dubbed a “No Rank, No Pension” system. He also condemned remarks by BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, who suggested that Agniveers would find employment as security guards at BJP offices.
Reflecting on the drastic shift from defending the nation”s borders to resorting to illegal immigration and menial labor, Hooda said, “Today, they are forced to go the Dunki route, illegally immigrating…and working as labourers.”
Kharge, in his letter to Murmu, underscored the plight of nearly 200,000 aspiring recruits whose dreams were shattered by the abrupt termination of the previous recruitment process in favour of the Agnipath scheme.
Kharge pointed out several glaring issues with the Agnipath scheme, echoing concerns raised by former Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane regarding the lack of consultation and its discriminatory nature.
“Former Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane has written that the Army was ‘taken by surprise’ by Agnipath and that ‘for the Navy and Air Force, it came like a bolt from the blue’,” Kharge added.
Last year, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Agnipath scheme, asserting that saying it is neither arbitrary nor does it require judicial interference in the wake of “overarching public interest”.
Those between 17-and-a-half and 21 are eligible to apply for a four-year tenure under the scheme. Agnipath, which allows 25% of the recruits to be granted regular service, is the only recruitment scheme for people below officer rank.
