rahul: ‘Uncalled for’ Agnipath scheme reduces ‘operational effectiveness’ of armed forces: Rahul | India News

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Agnipath scheme, launched by the Centre on Tuesday, reduced the operational effectiveness of the “armed forces”, even as India “faced threat on two fronts”.
“When India faces threats on two fronts, the uncalled for Agnipath scheme reduces the operational effectiveness of our armed forces,” he tweeted, referring to “threats” at the northern and eastern borders of the country.
Taking to Twitter during his lunch break amid questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case, Rahul asked the BJP government to “stop compromising the dignity, traditions, valour and discipline of our forces”.

The government announced the radical and far-reaching ‘Agnipath’ scheme on Tuesday to recruit all new soldiers only for four years. Under the Agnipath scheme, approved by the PM-led cabinet committee on security, the process to recruit 46,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen this year will begin on an “all-India, all-class” basis within 90 days.

After the launch, Rahul had tweeted that the prime minister is not an expert in creating jobs, but making “news” on jobs.
“Like eight years ago, youth was promised 2 crore jobs every year, in the same way now, it is the turn of 10 lakh government jobs. This is not a government of ‘jumlas’, but of ‘maha jumlas’,” Rahul had said in a Hindi tweet.

There have been criticisms that the scheme will hit the professionalism, ethos and fighting spirit of the armed forces as well as possibly lead to militarisation of civil society.