The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday alleged that the Indian Army was using caste as a factor for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme, drawing a swift rebuttal from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who rejected the charge as a "rumour".
Rajnath Singh said the recruitment system which was in place before Independence is being continued with no change.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday alleged that the Indian Army was using caste as a factor for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme, drawing a swift rebuttal from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who rejected the charge as a "rumour".
AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue while JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha and BJP MP Varun Gandhi also tweeted a purported document linked to the army's recruitment exercise to question the need for a caste certificate and raised concerns.
Dismissing the allegation, Singh told reporters in Parliament complex, "I want to make it clear that this is a rumour. The (recruitment) system which was in place before Independence is being continued and there is no change to this."
The ruling BJP accused the critics of trying to instigate youngsters for street protests and asserted that the army's recruitment process dates back to pre-Independence. This was formalised by a "Special Army Order" after 1947, and the practice remains the same, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said.
The army had submitted an affidavit in response to a PIL in the Supreme Court in 2013, when the Congress-led UPA government was in power, that caste or religion has no role in its recruitment, and applicants are asked about this for administrative reasons, Patra told reporters.
Earlier, Sanjay Singh in a tweet said for the first time in India's history, candidates have been asked to mention their caste in the army recruitment, and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not consider dalits, backwards and tribals eligible for serving in the armed forces.
"The cheap face of the Modi government has come out in front of the country... Modi ji, you have to make 'Agniveer' or 'Jaativeer'," he alleged in a tweet in Hindi. Kushwaha, whose party is a BJP ally, also raised the issue and questioned the need for a caste certificate in the army recruitment when there is no provision for reservation in it.
Echoing this, Gandhi wondered if somebody's patriotism will now be decided by looking at his caste. "The government should consider the impact on our national security by changing the established norms of the army," he said.
In a sharp attack on the critics, Patra accused the opposition members, including those from the Congress, of belittling and insulting the army while doing their politics. If a soldier makes the supreme sacrifice while on duty, information about his religion helps the army in preparing for his last rites, he said.
Patra said opposition members create controversies around the army from time to time and added that AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had previously also raised questions on surgical and air strikes aimed at Pakistan-based terrorists.
"The Indian Army never recruits on the basis of caste or religion of applicants. It is above this. Are these people not aware of this," he asked.
Sinha made a request to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu for allowing him to raise the issue of policy changes for the Agnipath scheme. His submission made no direct mention to the issue of caste or religion.
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha had submitted an adjournment notice to discuss the "disastrous implications" of the Agnipath scheme as well as "the denial of opportunities" in railways to thousands of job aspirants.
The Agnipath scheme, a short term recruitment in the armed forces, has drawn strong criticism from the opposition. It envisages that 75 per cent of the recruits will be discharged after four years and the remaining 25 per cent will be absorbed for long term.