Agnipath Scheme is a risk to national security and a rushed decision: Congress

The Congress party on Friday demanded the cancellation of the Agnipath recruitment scheme. The party alleged that this scheme weakens national security, disrupts military training, and deprives young recruits of job security and benefits enjoyed by regular soldiers.

Congress leader Colonel (Retd) Rohit Chaudhary stated that the short tenure under Agnipath creates obstacles in military training and leaves Agniveers without job security. He further added, "This was a major scheme that posed a risk of weakening our national security. The Modi government introduced this scheme in haste without sufficient deliberation."

Questioning the government's decision to extend the service period, Chaudhary asked why only 25% are being made regular soldiers if the performance of all Agniveers has been good? Citing the assessment of Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani, he asked why the remaining 75% should have to wait?

He argued that for the protection of borders, a contract-based army is not required, but a regular army is. According to Chaudhary, cadre management has been disrupted due to the short tenure and opportunities for more training for technical roles in the armed forces have been limited. He said that it is impossible to provide the necessary proper training under the established military system within a four-year period.

Colonel Sudhir of the Congress former soldiers' wing also expressed concern on this matter, saying that when it is not even known whether an individual will remain in service after four years, the entire training system gets disrupted.

Lieutenant Colonel Navjot Singh Thinde, former head of the party's former soldiers' wing in Chandigarh, stated that there was no need to change the military recruitment system. Based on his experience as a soldier, he asked why the government has now changed the scheme if there was a need for change?

Rohit Chaudhary further alleged that there is unequal treatment of Agniveers compared to regular soldiers in terms of salary, leave, career progression, and compensation for those martyred during duty. He mentioned that Agniveers get only 30 days of leave while regular soldiers are entitled to 90 days of leave, making it difficult to work in a stressful environment. He demanded that the families of martyred Agniveers be given lifelong pension and benefits equal to those of regular soldiers' families.

Chaudhary said that the government's decision to extend the service period is an admission that the Agnipath scheme has failed. He termed the scheme an illegal, improper, and anti-national decision. Along with this, he announced the launch of the "Jai Jawan Part Two" campaign. In the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had demanded the cancellation of the Agnipath scheme and the restoration of regular recruitment by starting the "Jai Jawan" campaign in 2024.

Under the Agnipath scheme launched in June 2022, personnel below officer rank are recruited for four years, out of which 25% of personnel from each batch can remain in regular service. On 4 November, the Cabinet approved an additional two-year period for the remaining 75%, which can be considered for regular recruitment based on their wish and selection criteria. This decision was taken before the four-year tenure of more than 18,300 Agniveers of the first batch was to be completed by 31 December.