Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the Center over the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, saying this “new experiment” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “laboratory” is putting the country’s security and the future of the youth at risk.
In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, 60,000 soldiers retire every year, out of which only 3,000 are getting government jobs.
“What will be the future of the thousands of ‘Agniveers’ who retire after a four-year contract,” the former Congress chief asked.
“Both the security of the country and the future of the youth are at risk with this new experiment of the Prime Minister’s laboratory,” Gandhi said.
Several parts of the country had witnessed protests after the announcement of the scheme that seeks to recruit youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.
For 2022, the upper age limit has been extended to 23 years.