Modi Govt is compromising on national security: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Congress MP Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has accused the Modi Govt of compromising on national security by introducing a flawed scheme called 'Agnipath'.

Addressing a press conference through Zoom Meeting on Friday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Agnipath was an ill-conceived and poorly planned scheme. He said that the scheme could be compared with NREGS wherein the BJP Govt is trying to give a guarantee of only four years of service in the armed forces to the jobless youth. He said that the Agnipath was nothing but the introduction of contractual jobs in the armed forces. He said this move amounts to a compromise on national security.

It may be mentioned that Uttam Kumar Reddy had served as the Fighter Pilot in the Indian Air Force after graduating from the College of Air Warfare, National Defence Academy and Air Force Academy and flew MIG-21 and MIG-23 fighter aircraft. Presently, he is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence.

"As a former soldier and fighter pilot, I can say that the six months of training and three-and-a-half years of service could not inculcate the same spirit as of a full-time soldier. The BJP Govt is just trying to reduce some amount on the pension bill through the Agnipath scheme. The examples being given by BJP leaders of a few other countries with short-term service in the armed forces are invalid. The conditions in those countries are completely different and they cannot be compared with India," he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the soldiers appointed through the Agnipath scheme would be forced to serve with huge uncertainty about their future after four years. "A full-time soldier dedicates his entire life to the country without any fear or worry. However, the part-time soldiers, who will be called 'Agniveers', will lack the same dedication as they will not be certain about their continuance in the Army, Navy or Air Force after force years," he said.

The Congress MP ridiculed the BJP Govt's contention that 'Agniveers' would be given priority in recruitment in para-military forces and other State services. In that case, he said all ex-servicemen and former soldiers should've been provided jobs in the paramilitary and other services. He said that there were thousands of vacancies in the para-military forces which were not being filled. Further, he said that the armed forces should not be treated as skill development centres and their only job should be to defend the nation from external and internal threats.

Uttam Kumar Reddy described the ongoing protests across the country as spontaneous. He said it was foolish on the part of BJP leaders to smell a conspiracy behind those protests. "As against nearly 1.40 lakh vacancies in the armed forces, the BJP Govt wants to fill just 46,000 vacancies. There has been no regular recruitment for the last two years due to Covid and other reasons. Lakhs of candidates have been preparing and waiting for recruitment in the armed forces for a long time. They got disappointed and angry after the BJP Govt tried to offer jobs on a contract basis instead of regular recruitment," he said.

The Congress leader reiterated that the Agnipath scheme was illogical and Modi Govt was compromising on national security just to save some amount on pensions. He demanded that the BJP Govt withdraw the scheme that offers jobs in the armed forces on a contractual basis.