Rahul Gandhi: Once voted to power, INDIA bloc will scrap Agniveer scheme

Addressing a public meeting in Odisha’s Balasore, Rahul said PM Modi wanted two types of martyrs – one who gets compensation, pension and martyr status, and the second (enrolled under the Agniveer scheme), who is poor and gets nothing.

“This kind of segregation is an insult to the Indian Army. PM Modi has turned our soldiers akin to labourers. We will scrap it (Agniveer scheme) and throw it into the dustbin. This is PM Modi’s scheme, the Army never wanted it,” he said.

The Congress has fielded its veteran leader and former Union parliamentary affairs minister Shrikant Jena to contest from Balasore parliamentary constituency. He is pitted against BJP stalwart Pratap Sarangi and BJD nominee Lekhashree Samantasinghar.

“Yesterday, I met the family members of Agniveer Ajay Singh (23) who was killed in a landmine blast near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district in January this year. Every Indian will feel heart-broken after seeing the tears of the family of the brave martyr,” Rahul said.

He further said, “Ajay, who woke up early in the morning and did penance with the passion to don army uniform, wanted to join the country’s defence force permanently and serve the country. But Narendra Modi shattered his dreams and turned him into Agniveer, and when he made the supreme sacrifice, the government left his family helpless. But PM Narendra Modi and the BJP government committed the sin of rendering the martyr and his family destitute. The country will never forgive them. The Government of India will ensure equal rights and respect to all by canceling the Agniveer Yojana. This will be a true tribute to Agniveer Ajay Singh and the heroes who were martyred for the country,” Rahul said.

The Congress leader, like his other public meetings, lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying the latter wanted to destroy the Constitution of India, but the Congress will not allow it to happen.

“The BJP-led NDA government wants to destroy the Constitution of India. I can assure you that their design will not work and will protect the Constitution at any cost,” he declared.

The Congress leader announced that after coming to power at the Centre on June 4, the party will give Rs 1 lakh in 12 establishments to every woman under the Mahalaxmi Yojana.

Mahalaxmi Training his gun on the BJP and BJD, Rahul said both parties are partners and they cooperated with each other in protecting and promoting businessmen. He questioned as to why the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were not interrogating chief minister Naveen Patnaik in chit fund and mining scams.