Agnipath dilutes spirit of soldiers: Minister Errabelli

Warangal: Launching a broadside against the Centre with regard to Agnipath, a short –term recruitment scheme in the Army, Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao said the BJP government is playing with the lives of unemployed youth.

"Even though the whole nation was opposing the Agnipath scheme, the Centre is not ready to roll it back,", Errabelli said, referring to the words of Lt. General Arun Puri, additional secretary, department of Military Affairs.

The Centre was not even ready to review its decision on Agnipath. Instead, it was going to conduct a test on June 24 and the recruitment process to begin in December, Errabelli said, demanding the Centre not to disappoint the unemployed youth who pinned their hopes on Army recruitment.

While Damera Rakesh, one of those aspirants who staged protest at the Secunderabad railway station died in the police firing, several others sustained injuries, the Minister said, blaming the Centre. Even though the Centre was responsible for the death of Rakesh, the TRS government had announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia and a job to one of the deceased's family members, he said.

He said that the Agnipath scheme dilutes the spirit of soldiers. "It's unfortunate that BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had said that priority will be given to Agniveers for guard jobs at the BJP office. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy says that Agnipath recruits would be trained in the skills of drivers, electricians, washermen, barbers and other professionals," Errabelli said.

It indicates the bankruptcy of BJP Narendra Modi government, he added. He termed the Agnipath scheme as nothing but compromising on national security. The youth will be rendered jobless after completing their four-year term as Agniveers, he added. Errabelli said that unemployment increased in the BJP regime from 5.6 per cent to 7.83 per cent.

"The Centre took the lives of nearly 700 farmers by introducing farm laws. Now it created another controversy by initiating the Agnipath scheme," Errabelli said. The Centre's decisions - demonetisation and GST - are also disasters, he said.

Warangal MP Pasunuri Dayakar, legislators Baswaraj Saraiah, Banda Prakash, KUDA chairman Sundar Raj Yadav and Jangaon ZP chairman P Sampath Reddy were among others present.