Agnipath violence | Revanth meets youngsters in jail, assures legal help

Demands PM Modi to recall the scheme and discuss in the Parliament

Telangana Congress president, A. Revanth Reddy called on the youngsters lodged in jail in connection with the violence in Secunderabad railway station against the Agnipath scheme and assured all legal help to them while appealing to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the scheme.

Mr. Reddy said the parents of these youngsters were worried that their children were forced to be part of the protests due to the Agnipath scheme that shattered their dreams. “Those arrested were not part of any violence and the Telangana government should release them without any cases,” he demanded.

Lashing out at the Prime Minister, he said the previous governments recruited thousands of youngsters every year without any problem and the same soldiers have been saving the country and some sacrificing their lives. How come Mr. Modi, who uses the Army’s achievements as his party’s, has suddenly turned against the very recruitment process and those very soldiers, he asked.

Mr. Reddy, who represents the Malkakgiri constituency in the Parliament, said such a serious decision should have been taken after due diligence and discussion in the Parliament. But by taking the decision without any diligence and discussion Mr. Modi has poured water on the aspirations of lakhs of army aspirants across the country. “What is wrong if the recruited soldiers wish to serve the country for long and seek security of their jobs,” he questioned.

Claiming that the Agnipath scheme will be a danger to the security of the nation in future as the dilemma of the Agniveers may be exploited by the enemies by stoking their insulted feelings. Moreover, there won’t be any commitment from the recruited Agniveers when they are asked to leave after four years without any benefits guaranteed to the regular soldiers. “How can they be trained to be fit as soliders in six months which generally takes two years.”