Raghav Chadha writes to Rajnath Singh, demands roll back of Agnipath scheme
NEW DELHI: AAM Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Saturday wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asking him to roll back the “ill-conceived” Agnipath scheme. Chadha said the scheme had “justifiably caused great anguish among potential recruits from across the country”.
He said, “The dreams of many young aspirants have been stifled by the controversial ‘contractualisation’ of the armed forces. For the last two days, we have witnessed with great despair, insufficient attempts at last-minute tinkering by the Union government such as increasing the age limit.”
“We need jawans with peace of mind and job security. The Centre has failed to understand that they support their families as well. Only individuals with courage can serve in the armed forces,” read the letter.
Chadha added, “The scheme has overlooked issues of inadequate skilling. The Agnipath scheme provides a crash course of six months. A short period of training will have adverse consequences on the quality of service discharged. The scheme allows for greenhorns to face the nation’s greatest security challenges. We will be saddled without sufficient experience amongst the troops.”
Saying that life cannot be put at stake to balance the budget, he said, “The Centre’s financial obligations should not affect the job security of our jawans.” “Also, the scheme erodes the quality of our troops. Unity amongst troops is what drives our armed forces towards excellence. With less time spent with their peers, we are sacrificing their spirit,” he added.
Pointing out another setback, he said, “The scheme has been implemented without running any pilot schemes. Such pilot schemes would have provided an opportunity to be deliberated on before deciding.”