Will throw Agniveer scheme into dustbin if INDIA bloc voted to power: Rahul Gandhi

Mahendragarh (Haryana), May 22 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Agniveer scheme will be scrapped and thrown into dustbin if the INDIA bloc comes to power as he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "turning Hindustan ke jawan into labourers".

In his first election meeting in Haryana for the Lok Sabha polls, the former Congress president also attacked Modi over the issue of farmers.

Slamming the BJP government over the Agniveer scheme, he said, "This is Modi's scheme and not Army's scheme, Army does not want it".

"When the INDIA bloc forms government, we will throw Agniveer scheme into dustbin," he said at the rally held under the Mahendragarh-Bhiwani Lok Sabha seat.

India's borders, he said, are secured by the country's youth and "There is patriotism in DNA of our youth".

"Modi has turned Hindustan ke jawan into labourers," he alleged.

Further attacking the BJP government, he said, "They say there will be two types of martyrs - one normal jawan and officer, who will get pension, martyr status, all facilities and on the other hand, a person from a poor family who has been named Agniveer. Agniveers will neither get martyr status, no pension, no canteen facility".

The Centre in 2022 rolled out the Agnipath recruitment scheme for short-term induction of personnel into the armed forces with an aim to bring down the age profile of the three services.

The scheme provides for recruiting youngsters in the age bracket of 17 years and a half to 21 years for a four-year period with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 years.

Targeting the government over the issue of farmers, Gandhi accused the Modi government of waiving Rs 16 lakh crore debt of 22 'arabpatis'.

On June 4, when we come to power, we will waive farmers' debt, he said.

As far as farm debt waiver is concerned, we will bring a 'Karza maafi' (debt waiver) commission, Gandhi added. PTI