Don’t take agnipareeksha of unemployed: Rahul Gandhi to PM Modi

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Amid protests against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to the voice of unemployed youths and don’t take ‘agnipareeksha (trial by fire)’ of their patience by making them walk on ‘Agnipath’.

Protests against the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme for hiring jawans on a short-term contractual basis were reported from various parts of the country on Thursday.   “No rank, no pension, no direct recruitment for 2 years, no stable future after four years, no respect shown by the government for the army,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, attacking the Centre over the scheme.

 “Listen to the voice of unemployed youths of the country, don’t take ‘agnipareeksha’ of their patience by making them walk on ‘Agnipath’, Mr. prime minister,” the former Congress chief said.   Attacking the government over the ‘Agnipath’ scheme, Gandhi had warned on Wednesday that it will reduce the operational effectiveness of the armed forces whose dignity and valour must not be compromised.   Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also hit out at the government and asked why it was making recruitment in the army its “laboratory”.