Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP-led government of making a political “U-turn” on the Agnipath scheme, saying the latest revision of the Agniveers’ service tenure by two years reflected Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s repeated criticism of the recruitment policy.
Under the revised arrangement, the 25 per cent eligible for retention under the existing scheme will continue to be considered for regular service, while the remaining 75 per cent will be offered the extension. Chief of defence staff General NS Raja Subramani announced on Wednesday that the Union cabinet has decided to give Agniveers an option to continue in service for two more years beyond their four-year tenure and apply for absorption into the armed forces at the end of this extended period.
“This government is a ‘U-turn’ government. In his post, Khera argued that the scheme was harmful both to the armed forces and the youth. “This is a significant departure from the original four-year exit arrangement. Shri @RahulGandhi has repeatedly warned that the Agniveer scheme is unsustainable and demanded that the government reconsider it,” he added. The BJP, however, welcomed the extension as a measure that would give Agniveers more time in service and another route towards regular enrolment. This decision is a continuation of long-term structural reforms of our defence forces, aimed at creating a younger, fitter, technologically equipped and future-ready military.
“This would also provide enrollment of all willing Agniveers as regular soldiers after the tenure of 4/6 years, who meet the selection criteria.
First Rahul Gandhi says, they don’t agree to it. Later they correct,” Congress leader Pawan Khera said in a post on X. He questioned what would happen to those who were not absorbed into regular service after the extended tenure and said the government would ultimately have to take back the scheme. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision, describing the additional two years as a “Second Tour of Duty”. It is not merely a recruitment policy; it is a way forward to prepare India’s military for the changing character of warfare,” the defence minister said.
