Agnipath Row | It Is Our Duty To Present Tears Of People Before Nation: Salman Khurshid

“What problem will we have if the people, for whom this has been brought, are satisfied?” Khurshid said.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid. (File Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Expressing “grave concern” over the ongoing protests against the Central government’s Agnipath recruitment scheme, former union minister and Congress veteran Salman Khurshid on Monday said this is “not an issue for the youth alone”, adding there is now a “question mark on the character of the armed forces”, news agency Asian News International (ANI) reported. Khurshid said it is their duty to present the tears of the people, who are not satisfied with this scheme, before the nation.

“What problem will we have if the people, for whom this has been brought, are satisfied?” Khurshid said.

“But they are not, they are screaming & crying. It is our duty to present their tears, the cause of their sorrow before the nation,” he added.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot are staging a sit-in at the Jantar Mantar in the national capital along with scores of party leaders and workers against the Agnipath scheme, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe against Rahul Gandhi and alleged attack on an MP.

The Agnipath scheme, announced earlier on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youth in the age bracket of 17-and-half to 21 years for only four years with a provision to retain 25 percent of them for 15 more years.

The Centre later extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

The youth joining the armed forces under Agnipath scheme will be known as Agniveers.

This scheme has, however, sparked protests in many parts of the country.

After the Centre’s announcement of the Agnipath scheme, angry mobs, especially in Bihar, torched trains, vandalised railway stations, and damaged properties as they put pressure on the ruling dispensation to withdraw the same.

In the wake of the ongoing uproar by the military aspirants and the call for Bharat Bandh, the states have tightened their security.

As protests continue unabated, various Union Ministries have announced job opportunities for the Agniveers after their four-year term ends.