Patna: Thousands of youths in Bihar continued their dharna on Thursday against the Centre’s Agneepath scheme by blocking rail tracks at Jehanabad railway station on Patna-Gaya rail route. The agitators also blocked the Patna-Gaya road demanding withdrawal of the scheme and recruitment as per normal procedure.
Agitating students blocked Patna-Gaya passenger train at Jehanabad railway station. Railway officials along with the district police tried to pacify them and requested them to leave the railway track to restore transport on the route.
Apart from this, a large number of protesters also gathered at Kako Mor on Patna Gaya main road and burnt tyres. They raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing them of “compromising” with the future of the youth.
Many of them alleged that the Center was not appointing ‘Agnivar’ but “Bali ka bakra” (scapegoat) for four years. Protesting students torched a coach of Intercity Express at Bhabua Road railway station in Kaimur district. He threw a burning tire in the Intercity Express after the passengers got off the train.
In Nawada, protesters burnt tires at Nawada railway station and busy Prajatantra Chowk. Traffic was also disrupted on the Gaya-Keul rail section due to heavy protests.
Howrah-Gaya Express was also stopped at Warsaliganj railway station. Many trains on this route were also stopped at many stations. Incidents of stone pelting have also been reported from Arrah. Earlier on Wednesday, a large number of youths demonstrated in Muzaffarpur and Buxar districts of the state and disrupted road and rail traffic.
Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Thursday hit out at the central government over its new ‘Agneepath scheme’ to recruit soldiers, terming it “unfair to rural youth”. The ‘Agneepath’ or ‘Agniveer’ scheme, as announced, is a process for recruiting soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force, to be placed on contract for a period of four years.
The scheme was announced by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday. After keeping the Army recruitment pending for a long time, the Center has now announced a new recruitment scheme ‘Agniveer’ in the Army with a short duration of four years.
“Even though it has been called a lucrative scheme, the youth of the country are dissatisfied and angry. They are openly opposing the changes in the army recruitment system,” Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.
Mayawati said, “She believes that the government is limiting the tenure of soldiers to four years to eliminate pension benefits in army and government jobs, which is highly unfair and harmful to the future of rural youth and their families.” Is.”
In a series of tweets, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the new recruitment move will only add to the sufferings of people who are already suffering from inflation and poverty. People in the country are already suffering from rising poverty, inflation, unemployment, wrong policies and arrogant working style of the government, in such a situation the uneasiness among the youth about the new recruitment system in the army is becoming a cause of concern.
Mayawati said, ‘The government should immediately reconsider its decision, this is the demand of BSP.