Agnipath row: Punjab CM agrees to Congress' demand for resolution against scheme

Amid the ongoing protests against the Central government's Agnipath military recruitment scheme, the Congress party has proposed to pass a resolution against the scheme in the ongoing Budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday. The Congress which has been demanding the withdrawal of the military recruitment scheme since its introduction had earlier also urged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab to introduce a resolution against it. 

On Tuesday, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Partap Singh Bajwa raised the demand in the state Assembly which was later accepted by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who also promised to bring an all-party resolution against the Central government's scheme. CM Mann, after allowing a discussion on the scheme, said that he is also against the Agnipath scheme. 

Notably, on the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party strongly opposed the proposal stating that the House is being misled on the issue as BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma tried to explain the benefits of the Agnipath scheme to the entire House. This also led to a heated argument between the Congress leaders and the BJP. 

Congress asks Punjab government to pass anti-Agnipath resolution 

Earlier last week, Punjab LoP Partap Bajwa had urged the state government to bring a resolution in the upcoming session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha through a written statement. 

In his statement, he recommended that the Punjab government should conduct an all-party delegation meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain why the scheme must be withdrawn.

"The scheme helps nobody, and the current shock and awe tactics employed to unveil the scheme has only demoralised thousands of applicants who wish to serve in the armed forces. For Indians to be retired at 21, with no chance at further growth apart from some nebulous promises of jobs in the Central Armed Police Forces will further disincentivise the youth of India from signing up for the armed forces,” he said.

Further adding that the scheme will negatively impact the youth of Punjab and will result in the loss of jobs for Punjabis, Bajwa also claimed that it will create frustration, unhappiness, and destabilisation in the border state. 

(Image: PTI/@Bhagwant Mann/Twitter)