From her hospital bed, an ailing Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Centre’s Agnipath scheme saying the controversial recruitment scheme is "directionless" and vowed to work for its withdrawal.
The party also announced a sit-on satyagraha against the Agnipath at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. While Sonia appealed to the youths protesting against the scheme to adopt peaceful and non-violent means to fight for their demands, former party chief Rahul Gandhi said just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to withdraw the farm laws, he will have to accept the demand of the youth and rollback the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme.
Sonia, who is being treated at a private hospital for a lower respiratory tract infection and post-Covid symptoms, said she can understand the pain of the youths over the "three-year delay" in recruitment despite lakhs of vacancies in the Army.
"It is unfortunate that the government has announced a new armed forces' recruitment policy, which is completely directionless and it has done so while ignoring your voices," she said in a statement in addressed to the youths.
Declaring her party's support for them, the Congress president said along with the youths, several ex-soldiers and defence experts have questioned the scheme.
The party chief said she also empathises with the youths who are awaiting results and appointments after taking the test for induction in the Air Force. "The Congress stands with you with full force and promises to struggle for your interests and for the withdrawal of this scheme. Like true patriots, we will articulate your voices following the path of truth, non-violence, resilience and peace," she told the youths in her letter.
"I appeal to you to use peaceful and non-violent means to protest for your rightful demands. The Indian National Congress is with you," the Congress chief added in the Open letter to youths.
Rahul said that for eight consecutive years, the BJP government has "insulted" the values of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'.
In a tweet message, Rahul Gandhi said, "I had said earlier also that the Prime Minister will have to withdraw the black farm laws. In the same manner, he will have to accept the demand of the youth of the country by becoming 'maafiveer' and take back the 'AgnRollback Agnipathipath' scheme," he said.
At the AICC Press conference, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, known as vocal against the system, said that there is a plan just to defame Bihar for any such examinations held. He mentioned like in the earlier railways exams when northern India was engulfed in flames it is quite visible that job aspirants across the country are petrified by the Modi government’s unthoughtful scheme.