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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to withdraw the farm laws, he will have to accept the demand of the youth and roll back the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme.
The former Congress chief also said that for eight consecutive years, the Bharatiya Janata Party government has “insulted” the values of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.’
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who is currently hospitalised with COVID-19-related issues, made an appeal to the youth who are currently protesting against the Agnipath scheme.
In a tweet, 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 ‘mafiveer’ and take back the ‘Agnipath’ scheme,” he said.
Unveiling the scheme on Tuesday, the government said youths between the ages of 17.5 and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure while 25 percent of the recruits will be retained for regular service.
The new scheme for the recruitment of soldiers in the three services was projected by the government as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to enhance the youthful profile of the three services.
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