Congress Promises to Abandon ‘Agnipath’ and Return to Previous Recruitment Scheme if Elected to Power

New Delhi, February 26: The Congress party intensified its criticism of the Union government’s “Agnipath” military recruitment scheme on Monday, alleging “gross injustice” to youngsters and pledging to revert to the previous recruitment system if voted into power at the Centre.

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, emphasizing the perceived “gross injustice” to young individuals seeking regular employment in the armed forces due to the “Agnipath” scheme. Kharge urged the President to ensure justice for these individuals.

Speaking at a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Congress General Secretary Sachin Pilot stated that there was no demand for such a scheme. He expressed the Congress party’s belief that reverting to the old recruitment system is necessary, as the “Agnipath” program, in the long term, would not benefit anyone except saving government funds.

Pilot acknowledged that while modernizing the armed forces is essential, completely eliminating the old system without much thought to future prospects is not the right approach. He criticized the “Agnipath” program for closing avenues of employment and emphasized the Congress party’s commitment to returning to the old recruitment system if voted back into power.

Congress leader Deepender Hooda also criticized the BJP-led Centre, questioning the rationale behind such a scheme. He demanded a rollback of the “Agnipath” program and a return to the previous recruitment process.

The “Agnipath” recruitment scheme, launched in June 2022 by the government, focuses on short-term induction of personnel into the armed forces, aiming to reduce the age profile of the three services. The scheme recruits individuals aged 17 and a half to 21 for a four-year period, with the provision to retain 25% of them for an additional 15 years.