THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The protests in the state in connection with the Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of soldiers were carried out by youths who may have been “misguided,” Union Minister and senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan has said.
At a meet the press programme organised by the Kesari Memorial Journalists’ Trust here, the minister said it was wrong to assume that the youth protests were against Agnipath. “The youths protested over the delay in conducting a common entrance test after the first stage of recruitment that involves physical tests. In fact, they want the recruitment process to go ahead,” the minister said. He urged the youths to understand the benefits of the Agnipath scheme that has been introduced to enhance the efficiency of the Armed Forces.
On the SilverLine project, the minister said it will never become a reality in its present form. “We are against a project that will create a Sri Lanka-like situation in the state and displace tens of thousands of people from their homes,” Muraleedharan said. He added that the state needed high-speed trains, but it should be implemented after discussions between the state government and the Railway Board.
Asked whether BJP was satisfied with the progress in the probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the gold smuggling case, Muraleedharan said the investigating agencies were efficiently carrying out the task with the evidence available at hand.
“It is the state government’s attempts to destroy evidence and create roadblocks for the central agencies which has delayed the probe,” Muraleedharan said. He asked why diplomatic ID was issued by the state General Administration Department to a clerk in the UAE consulate.
Using the diplomatic ID, that is usually issued only to high ranking officials such as ambassadors and high commissioners, the consulate staffer was able to bypass airport security and smuggle gold and currency, the minister said. “We have all seen people close to the chief minister being arraigned as accused in the case and the sensitive documents catching fire in the Secretariat soon after. Any person with common sense can infer the chief minister’s role in the entire episode,” he said.