Agnipath Scheme row: BJP seeks NIA action against Congress Chhattisgarh MLA for 'instigating tribal youth'

A ruling Congress MLA in Chhattisgarh has courted controversy after a video surfaced of him purportedly asking youth to protest against the Centre's Agnipath military recruitment scheme in a manner similar to Bihar, where vehicles were burnt and other incidents of violence were reported. The opposition BJP on Tuesday wrote to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) urging it to take cognizance of the video and probe the Congress' role in the violence that occurred during the agitation against the scheme in different parts of the country.

Vikram Mandavi, who represents Bijapur constituency, had reportedly made the remark during the party's protest against the scheme at the bus stand here on Monday. The demonstration was held as a part of the nationwide agitation staged by the Congress against Agnipath.

In the video, Mandavi, while addressing party workers during the protest, can be heard saying "I would like to appeal that you should tell people about the scheme. We should come out on the streets to oppose it in the coming days. The way youths are protesting in Bihar and other states, torching vehicles, the same kind of protest should be held everywhere."


However, when contacted, Mandavi claimed the video was edited and denied telling party workers to burn vehicles. He claimed he had asked party workers to make aware people about the demerits of the scheme and oppose it.

Meanwhile, state BJP chief Vishnu Deo Sai has written a letter to NIA seeking probe into the statement of the MLA alleging that a conspiracy is being hatched to instigate violence in the name of the Agnipath scheme.

"The statement of Mandavi, who represents a tribal-dominated and Naxal-affected area, is an attempt to provoke innocent tribals to commit violence. His act is clearly anti-national. The NIA should take suo moto cognizance and investigate Congress' role in well planned violence that happened during the protest against Agnipath," Sai said in the letter.

Bihar had witnessed large scale protests against the Central scheme, under which youths will be recruited in the armed forces for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for at least 75 per cent of the batch without any pension.

The protestors had vandalised vehicles and torched train coaches there demanding immediate roll back of the scheme.