Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha house, Rahul Gandhi, launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on Monday during the sixth session of the 18th Lok Sabha. He accused it of treating Agniveers as a “use and throw” personnel on Monday. Gandhi questioned the treatment of Agniveers which includes the youth who are recruited under the government’s new military recruitment scheme during the intense parliamentary session,
Gandhi shared a poignant account from his recent visit to Punjab, where he met the family of an Agniveer who had died in a landmine blast. “A few days back in Punjab, I met the family of an Agniveer who attained martyrdom in a landmine blast. I am calling him a martyr, but the Government of India doesn’t recognise him as a martyr. Narendra Modi doesn’t call him a martyr; he calls him an Agniveer,” Gandhi said. He criticized the government for not providing pensions or compensation to the families of deceased Agniveers and for not recognizing their sacrifices officially. “The family won’t receive a pension or compensation, nor will their son be recognised as a martyr,” he said.
He further accused the Centre of creating a divide between regular Army personnel and Agniveers by offering different training and benefits. “You give an Agniveer six months of training and put him in front of Chinese personnel who receive five years of training. Not only that, you are creating differences between a jawan and an Agniveer because of the benefits,” Gandhi asserted. He further questioned th treasury benches, “You identify yourselves as patriots, but what kind of patriots are you?”
Gandhi’s remarks prompted a swift response from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who accused him of spreading misinformation. “The government pays a compensation of ₹1 crore to the family members of an Agniveer who dies in the line of duty,” Singh stated. He challenged Gandhi to present the factual position and apologize if he could not substantiate his claims.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah also weighed in, noting that both Gandhi and Singh had presented their statements and stated that the House is not a place for spreading falsehoods. Shah insisted that Gandhi should apologize if he could not back up his allegations with facts. “Leader of Opposition just said that one crore is not paid, and the Defence Minister has replied. The House is not a place to spread lies. Rahul Gandhi must present the factual position, and if he can’t do that, he should apologise.”
Gandhi maintained his stance, in response to Singh and Shah’s arguments. He asserted that the reality of the Agniveer scheme was well-known and did not require further clarification.
Gandhi further claimed that the Agniveer scheme originated from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and was the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comparing it to the demonetization policy. Singh while defending the scheme, shed light on the 158 organizations that had provided their input on its implementation and noted that similar recruitment models exist in countries like the USA and UK. He accused Gandhi of speaking without proper information and requested that his address be expunged from the House proceedings.
