opinion | Agneepath: Who is spreading confusion among the youth?
With news coming from Gwalior (MP), Sikar (Rajasthan) and Satara (Maharashtra) about several candidates preparing for upcoming recruitments, the unrest among the youth about the Agneepath scheme seems to be subsiding. Indian Army released the recruitment notification on Monday and the online registration will start in July.
This year 46,000 firefighters will be covered under the Agneepath scheme. Of this, 40,000 firefighters will be recruited by the Army and 3000 by the Navy and Air Force. The Agniveers will be inducted in two batches through 83 recruitment rallies between August and November in different parts of India. The training of 25,000 firefighters will begin in December, and training for the remaining 15,000 will begin in February, sources said.
The most positive development was that there was not a single incident of arson or stone pelting by youth anywhere in India on Monday. It seems a clear message has been sent to the candidates that if there is a police verification report against them they will be out of recruitment. The candidates will have to file an affidavit stating that they have never committed violence.
Though political parties continued to strike their ax by opposing the Agneepath scheme, most of India’s top corporates have welcomed the scheme and have promised to include Agniveers who retire from the armed forces after four years. These include Tata Group, Mahindra, RPG, Biocon, JSW Group and Hindustan Unilever. The Bharat Bandh call given by some organizations on Monday had practically no effect across India. Traffic was less on the roads in Bihar, but life was normal in other states including UP, MP, Rajasthan, Haryana.
A total of 159 FIRs have been registered in Bihar, which is in the grip of violence. 877 people were arrested and an FIR was registered against three coaching center owners in Patna. The coordinators of two coaching centers have been arrested in Rohtas, Bihar. Nine coach center owners have been detained in Aligarh, UP. Telangana Police has also taken action against two coaching center owners.
Patna Police has released posters of 40 miscreants, who had started arson and stone pelting and attacked a police station in Paliganj. The SDO and Additional SP of Paliganj spoke to local leaders, coaching center owners and parents to persuade the job seekers to avoid violence.
Bihar Police is now targeting the administrators of those WhatsApp groups who were inciting youth to protest. The Delta team of Bihar Police is investigating through social media accounts to trace the miscreants. The Delta team is monitoring more than 10 Telegram groups, around 500 Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups and YouTube channels.
Modi’s sting from different political parties also stirred the enthusiasm of the youth and when incidents of arson and violence took place in Bihar, political workers jumped into the fray posing for army jobs. Most of the coaching academies that train 100 to 300 youth are politically linked. Coaching center owners felt that if the Agneepath scheme was implemented, their business would be over.
When there was no response to the Bharat Bandh call on Monday, Congress workers tried to stop a train at a small station in New Delhi as a token measure, but quickly dispersed when police stepped in. Have become. Their leaders, including two chief ministers and several MPs. After spewing venom against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Satyagraha’ in Delhi, Subodh Kant Sahai, a former minister, compared Modi to Hitler.
Subodh Kant Sahai said, “I think Prime Minister Modi has surpassed all that Hitler did. Hitler had created his ‘Khaki’ army. I think if Modi continues on Hitler’s path, then Hitler’s will.” Death will die. Remember this, Modi.”
Soon after the video appeared in the media, creating outrage across the country, Sahai tried to withdraw his remarks. Subodhkant Sahai has been a minister in the cabinet of former PM VP Singh and Chandrashekhar. He also served as a minister in Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government for a long time. After spending a long time in public life, it was expected that he would know what kind of language the prime minister should use.
The most surprising thing was that not a single senior Congress leader present on the stage tried to stop Sahay from using such abusive language. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi reminded us that Congress President Sonia Gandhi used similar language against Modi in 2007, when she described him as a “maut ka saudagar” (merchant of death).
Congress has a history of using abusive language against Modi in the past. Congress leaders adopted nicknames such as “Lah Purush” (man of blood), ‘Zahhar ki kheti wala’ (hatred), ‘Jawan Ke Khoon Ki Dalai Wala’ (merchant of jawans’ blood), ‘neech aadmi’. used. ‘ (Wicked), and also compared him with Hitler, Mussolini, General Dyer, Ranga Billa, Hindu Atanki (Hindu terrorist). There are many more, and if you count the number of abuses, it can reach up to 80.
This was not the Congress culture in the old days. Even today, senior, senior Congress leaders dislike such derogatory episodes. However, now apart from the unsuccessful political leaders in the Congress there is a new generation of leaders who prefer to use such language. I think, no political leader should be allowed to say that such a thing deserves Hitler’s death. There are political leaders who are also spreading false propaganda.
Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that by introducing the ‘Agneepath’ scheme in the armed forces, the BJP is “trying to create an RSS Sena, which will have armed groups that will be active during elections”. Shockingly, Mamata Banerjee made this allegation inside the state assembly, where proceedings are recorded. The opposition BJP immediately demanded an apology from the CM, saying that he had insulted the army.
There are some other leaders also, who are spreading false propaganda. Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram tweeted: “If you want to train as a driver, washerman or barber, become Agniveer, want to be trained as a watchman, become Agniveer, if you Want to learn to fry pakoras, be on Agniveer. If you want to be a soldier, don’t apply.”
Many misleading claims and allegations are being made on social media by others. A YouTube channel claimed that private agencies would hire Agniveers in the coming years, while another social media post said that Army personnel who did not get promoted by 2019 would now be promoted to Agniveer ranks.
In a series of tweets addressed to Modi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi asked: “Why do you want our youth after 4 years of service in the army, outside the homes of Adani and Ambani, or in BJP offices as they were before? Will be- job-seeking soldiers? Modiji, youth are the future of our country, they are not retired IAS officers who are with you and are constantly expanding. Hear the voice of the youth, accept their demand and withdraw the Agniveer scheme immediately.
I was surprised when AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that the government, under the Agneepath scheme, would not treat soldiers as soldiers and would not give them the status of martyrs if they were killed during the operation.
Senior army officials have said on record that the army modernization plan was in the pipeline since 1989, and a series of discussions were held before the Agneepath plan was drafted. On Monday, Prime Minister Modi said, ‘The road to reforms is not easy. Many decisions and reforms may be temporarily unpleasant, but with the passage of time, their benefits will be known. ,
Modi is right, the road to reforms is not easy. The objective of Agneepath scheme is to reform and modernize our armed forces to make them younger and more energetic. There has been a transformative change in wars across the world, and modernization of our armed forces is the need of the hour.
The confusion which was spread among the youth of Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan and Haryana when this scheme was started, seems to be more or less dispelled. Coaching centers and political parties misused this opportunity to grind their axes, inciting youth to resort to arson and violence. Now that the center has published the recruitment details in its notification, most of the young aspirants have realized that the Agneepath scheme can open the way for a golden future.
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