Modi govt forced Agnipath Scheme on army: Mallikarjun Kharge

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "doing petty politics" on Kargil Vijay Diwas and claimed that the government forced the Agnipath scheme on the armed forces.

"It is very unfortunate and deplorable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is doing petty politics even on occasions like paying tribute to martyrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas. No Prime Minister has ever done this before," Kharge said. "Modi ji is saying that his government implemented the Agnipath scheme at the behest of the army. This is a blatant lie and an unforgivable insult to our valiant armed forces. Modi ji, it is you who are spreading lies! Former army chief (retd.) General MM Naravane has said on record that 75% of recruits were to be taken for permanency in the Agnipath Scheme and 25% of people were to be let go after four years. But the Modi government did the opposite, and forcibly implemented this scheme for all three armed forces."

Maintaining that Agniveers are not getting the same financial and service terms as the regular personnel, Kharge said, "There is a lot of anger and strong opposition among the youth of the country regarding Agniveer! Congress party's demand is consistent - the Agnipath scheme should be scrapped!"