The party alleges ‘discrimination’ against Agniveers; claims Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had lied in Parliament on the issue of compensation and demands an apology for it
Amid the controversy over compensation to ‘Agniveers’ who die in the line of duty, the Congress on July 4 demanded a ‘white paper’ on the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the armed forces.
Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, the Congress’ chief of the ex-servicemen’s department Colonel (retired) Rohit Chaudhry said the white paper was essential for the country to understand ground realities.
Mr. Chaudhry claimed that the family of late ‘Agniveer’ Ajay Singh from Punjab’s Ludhiana had received only ₹48 lakh from the Centre, apart from ₹1 crore from the Punjab government and ₹50 lakh as insurance money from a private bank.
His remarks followed a clarification from the Indian Army, which had claimed that the kin of the late Singh, who lost his life in the line of duty, had already been given ₹98.39 lakh of the dues. The total amount will be approximately ₹1.65 crore.
The clarification came after the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi shared a video on social media platform X late on Wednesday evening, and alleged that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had “lied” in Parliament on the issue of compensation, and demanded an apology for it.
Mr. Gandhi had also played a clip of the slain Agniveer’s father in which he said no assistance had been received by the family.
“In Parliament, the Defence Minister gave incomplete information to the country, which created an atmosphere of doubt. As the main Opposition, it is our responsibility to raise the issue of discrimination being carried out with the Army and Agniveers. Rahul Gandhi-ji says there should be no discrimination with the soldiers and martyrs of the country. This is not just a matter of martyred Agniveer Ajay Singh, but of the 13 Agniveers who have been martyred so far,” Mr. Chaudhry said.
He said the government should bring out a ‘white paper’ on the Agnipath scheme, the “discrimination” between Agniveers and regular soldiers, and the assistance amount to be given to the families of those slain in the line of duty.
Wing Commander (retired) Anuma Acharya, who also addressed the press conference, alleged that the Narendra Modi government was bringing out half truths, entangling them in technical intricacies, and using the Additional Directorate General of Public Information’s official X handle to mislead the people of the country. “We condemn this,” she said.
