Congress demands 'white paper' from government on Agnipath scheme

NEW DELHI: Congress on Thursday demanded a ' white paper ' from the government on the Agnipath scheme alleging that defence minister Rajnath Singh presented "incomplete information" regarding the scheme in Parliament.

In a press conference, ex-servicemen department chief Colonel (retired) Rohit Chaudhry said, "In Parliament, the defence minister gave incomplete information to the country, which created an atmosphere of doubt. As the main opposition, it is our responsibility to raise the issue of discrimination being carried out with the Army and Agniveers."

"This is not just a matter of martyred Agniveer Ajay Singh but also of 13 martyred Agniveers, Agniveers serving in the Army, Agniveers undergoing training and the security of the country," he added.

संसद में रक्षा मंत्री ने देश के सामने आधी-अधूरी जानकारी रखी, जिससे एक संशय का माहौल बन गया।

मुख्य विपक्ष के नाते हमारी जिम्मेदारी बनती है कि सेना और अग्निवीरों के साथ जो भेदभाव हो रहा है, उन मुद्दों को उठाएं।

राहुल गांधी जी का कहना है कि देश के सैनिकों, सेना और शहीदों के साथ… pic.twitter.com/rFBKdzzCgT

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 4, 2024

He further made a demand for the old recruitment process to be implemented in the army and "permanent management of 1.5 lakh youth selected in the army is to be done."

This comes a day after Rahul Gandhi called upon defense minister Rajnath Singh to apologise to the family of martyr Ajay Singh, as well as to the armed forces and the nation's youth, accusing him of misleading them.

Later, the Indian Army issued a statement saying, "Of the total amount due, the family of Agniveer Ajay has already been paid Rs 98.39 lakhs. Ex-gratia and other benefits amounting to approximately 67 lakhs, as applicable according to the provisions of the Agniveer Scheme, will be paid on Final Account Settlement shortly post due police verification. The total amount will be Rs 1.65 crore approximately."