JKPCC Observes Peaceful Satyagraha Against Agnipath Scheme of BJP Government

Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee on Monday observed a peaceful Satyagraha against the Agnipath Scheme launched by the government at Tawi Bridge near Maharaja Hari Singh Statue, Jammu. Led by PCC President Jb. Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Working President PCC Sh. Raman Bhalla, Yogesh Sawhney General Secretary PCC I/C District President Jammu (U) and Manmohan Singh General Secretary JKPCC, the demonstration was held as per AICC instructions to launch a nationwide program against the Agnipath scheme. PCC office bearers, Councillors, senior Congress leaders and party members participated in the Satyagraha to register their opposition.

Lodging the party's protest against the Agnipath Scheme, PCC President GA Mir termed it 'disappointing and unjust' for the youth who aspire to serve the nation by joining the elite and revered Army forces. He stated that the scheme is a complete and total sham, provides absolutely no benefits and will lead to a disintegration of the competence of the Indian Army. He further stated that the party extends its complete support to the youth and stands behind them against this policy. 'Across the nation, young Indians are expressing grave disappointment with this recruitment scheme and we second their voices and totally reject this decision taken by the government', said Mir. The facts speak for themselves that the policy will be an utter failure on the ground. Indians who will join the army through this recruitment pathway will have no employment guarantee, and no safety net for themselves or their families, he added.

He said that the scheme has triggered unrest among the youth in the country and led them to the streets. We support the demand of the youth for the immediate rollback of the scheme. The scheme proposes to recruit soldiers on a 4-year contract basis, at the end of which 75% of them will be released unemployed. Even those recruited will have no real opportunities for growth within the army, the selected candidates will be recruited for the non-commissioned ranks only such as Sepoy, Naik, and Lance Naik. This is a set up for failure for the youth. Such systems cannot work in our country. Similar systems are deployed in countries like the US, but US also has one of the highest poverty rates among army veterans. India should not and cannot subject soldiers to a future of uncertainty, insecurity or even destitution. This policy is a huge blunder and cannot be justified on any account. We strictly condemn the Agnipath scheme and demand that the government listens to the pleas of the Indian youth and goes back on it's decision to implement it.Also speaking at the protest, PCC Working President and Former Minister Raman Bhalla voiced his discontent with the BJP Government for launching the Agnipath scheme. He said that the government should not be blind to the needs and necessities of the Indian youth and must take into account the concerns of the stakeholders before launching any policy or scheme. The biggest stakeholders in the Agnipath scheme is the youth and if the youth has outright rejected it, the government must give in and rethink where it went wrong. As it is very clear, he said, there is no job security for the recruited members, as majority of them will become unemployed by the end of the 4 year term. The skills gained in the four years of Army training will go to waste after their release, as they will have to find jobs in other sectors which will not capitalise on their army trained skills. This will neither help the Indian army nor the young Indians who will join. BJP Government cannot white wash every bad policy with numbers and ad campaigns. We strongly urge the government to not play with the future of the youth of the country and take this scheme back immediately. Adding to this, Former Minister Yogesh Sawhney, General Secretary PCC Incharge District President Jammu (U) lashed out at the BJP Government for the Agnipath scheme stating that it is bound to create a pool of problems for those young Indians aspiring to become a part of the Indian army. He said that data clearly proves that veterans have extremely low rates of employment after being released from the army. Non-recognition of qualifications obtained from the military are reasons why their recruitment has remained significantly low, pushing them towards low-skill jobs, which is what will happen with the Agniveers after being released. The youth members can be misled by the promotion of this scheme by the BJP Government as they might enter the scheme with the promise of a better future but end up in a precarious situation later. Although the government has come out and said preferences will be given to Agniveers in employment, however, those are only "words", and no actual "guarantee" is provided through written policy or documentation concerning the scheme. We understand that the government wants to play with words to deceive the country into another blunder. Along with the youth which has given it's verdict against the Agnipath scheme already, we demand that the Agnipath scheme is withdrawn with immediate effect.

General Secretary PCC Mamnohan Singh also criticised the scheme and said that it comes as another disappointment to the Indian youth who has suffered a lot under the BJP Government. Through the BJP Government's tenure, the youth has been plagued with issues such as unemployment. To make matters worse, the government comes out with such policies which hamper their aspirations further. On the face, the name "Agniveer" might seem dramatic like most of BJP's tactics, however, the fine points of the policy reveal that it is deeply flawed.The fallouts of this scheme being implemented are huge and disappointing and hence, it is important that the government takes the time to rethink and reconsider. The lump sum amount to be given after 4 years is 11 lakh, will be deducted from the recruit’s salary on monthly basis, and there would be no pension benefits. All in all, it is a poorly designed policy in the long run. Unless some remedial action is taken by the government in this regard, we will continue with our campaign.

Similar protests were held at various places across Jammu and Kashmir, including Bhaderwah, Jammu (Rural), Rajouri and other constituencies in J&K.