NEW DELHI: Urging the youth to recognise "fake nationalists", Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on June 19 assured her party's full support to those peacefully protesting the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.
She made the remarks as Congress MPs and leaders sat on a 'Satyagraha' at Jantar Mantar here in solidarity with the youths protesting the controversial scheme.
"There is no bigger patriot than you. I want to tell you, open your eyes and recognise the fake nationalists and fake patriots. The entire country and the Congress are with you in your struggle," the Congress general secretary said in her remarks aimed at youths protesting the Agnipath scheme.
In her address, she also quoted lines from Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Hindi poem 'Agnipath' to urge the youth to persevere and keep struggling peacefully. "The name of the poem has been given to a scheme that will destroy the youth. This scheme will destroy the Army. Recognise this government's intentions. In a democratic way and by walking on the path of truth and non-violence, bring down this government. Your objective should be (to ensure) that such a government is formed in the country which shows real patriotism," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Unveiling the Agnipath scheme, the government had said youths between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure and 25 per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service. The youths to be recruited under the new scheme would be called 'Agniveer'.
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The upper age limit was raised to 23 years after violent protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force erupted in parts of the country.
A major objective of the scheme is to bring down the average age of military personnel and cut the ballooning salary and pension bills. The announcement of the new scheme came against the backdrop of recruitment in the military being stalled over the coronavirus pandemic for over two years.