Amid protests against Agnipath, Congress's Rajya Sabha MP from Harayana, Deepender Singh has called the Agnipath scheme, a copycat, and urged the government to take back the scheme.
Congress party's Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana Deepender Singh Hooda on Sunday attacked the Union government over the Agnipath scheme for soldier recruitment, and called it a “Nakalchi Bandar”, or a copycat, for exporting ideas from foreign nations to draft policies here.
“The government has taken the attitude of a 'Nakalchi Bandar', But this is Hindustan. Sometimes it gives the example of America in the context of agriculture laws and at other times talks about Israel in reference to military service,” he said at a press conference at PCC headquarters here.
“Now the example of Israel is being given with an argument that there is compulsory military service. But this is Hindustan. Situations in Israel and India are different,” he said while demanding from the center to withdraw the scheme. He said that the Agnipath scheme will weaken the defense forces and has disappointed youths who aspire to join the forces.
“When the soldier's future is not secure, how will he be able to secure the borders,” he said. Hooda said that aspirants wake up at 4 am, and sweat it out on the ground, with a dream that they will get recruited into the military, but the Narendra Modi government has "crushed their dreams... There was no discussion on the scheme in the parliament or in the standing committee. There should have been a wide debate in the country. The parliament should have been taken into confidence before such a decision,” he said.
He said that unemployment is at its peak and democratic institutions are being sidelined. “Congress party urges the prime minister to immediately withdraw the Agnipath scheme,” he said.