Siddaramaiah urges PM to drop Agnipath scheme

Bengaluru: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday urged the BJP-ruled Centre to drop the Agnipath scheme of recruiting military personnel as 'Agniveers' for a term of four years in the wake of violent protests in parts of the country by aspirants seeking to join the armed forces.

In a series of tweets, the Congress stalwart also said the government should not play with the security forces to cover up the government's bankruptcy. "The new #AgneepathScheme to recruit soldiers will push youth into unemployment & will have adverse impact on security of the country. @BJP4India should drop the new plan & recruit soldiers as per the existing process," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power with the promise to provide two crore job opportunities, but now is closing every opportunity for the youth.Questioning the scheme, the former chief minister sought to know, "Can soldiers be completely involved if they are insecure about their job opportunities & clueless about their future due to #AgneepathScheme? Is this not dangerous if soldiers develop this insecurity?"Seeking to know if the BJP government at the Centre was so "bankrupt" that they are unable to ensure job security, and pay salaries and pensions to the soldiers, Siddaramaiah said PM Modi should not play with the national security "to cover up the government's bankruptcy".