Agnipath stir spreads to TN, Stalin asks Centre to roll it back
CHENNAI: As protests against Agnipath spread to TN on Saturday, Chief Minister MK Stalin issued a statement urging the Union government to immediately roll back the Army-recruitment scheme. He said it’s against the nation’s interests, and many Army veterans too opined that the scheme was dangerous.
Stalin quoted former Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Raj Kadyan, saying: “You can’t expect a man who is joining the Army for just four years on contract service to be committed to the extent that he can lay down his life.” Retired Major General GD Bakshi had said he was flabbergasted by the scheme.
Other Army veterans too said defence services couldn’t be a part-time job, and such recruitment would spoil discipline in the Army, Stalin said. “Considering the country’s safety and since this scheme would destroy the goal of lakhs of youth in joining the Armed Forces, the Union government should roll back this scheme immediately.”Meanwhile, over 500 Army aspirants, holding the Tricolour and placards at the War Memorial near the Secretariat in Chennai, demanded that the Centre withdraw the Agnipath scheme. Most of them, aged 19-23, had cleared the physical examination and were awaiting dates for the written exam.
“We were part of an Army recruitment drive in 2019, but the Common Entrance Exam (CEE) hasn’t been held yet due to the pandemic. The dates were announced in March 2021, and then changed. In December, the exam was cancelled,” said T Ramesh, a protester from Ranipet.He was among several protesters who arrived from across TN to demand that the Centre promise to recruit those who completed the pre-qualification procedure. The protesters also alleged that the Centre didn’t mention any age-limit relaxation for those who appeared for a physical test in 2019.
Arjun Kumar (21), from Madurai, said he went to college after Class 12, and has been preparing to join the Army for the past three years. “We do not come under the Agnipath scheme. We came to visit the Army recruitment office in the Secretariat to inquire about our plight,” he added.As the protesters refused to disperse even after North Chennai Additional Commissioner of Police TS Anbu held talks with them, police detained them at the RR Stadium in Egmore and let them off later.
“The protesters were warned of being booked if they hold another such protest without police permission,” said a police officer. Later, police arranged a few MTC buses to drop the protesters at Koyambedu bus terminus so they could catch buses back home.Meanwhile, as anti-Agnipath protesters targeted rail coaches in parts of the country, the city police beefed up security at the Central and Egmore railway stations.The youth who died in a protest in Secunderabad on Friday was awaiting the dates for the CET written test for more than two years.
(With inputs from T Muruganantham)