Agnipath Row: Samyukta Kisan Morcha To Hold Nationwide Protest On June 24, Says Rakesh Tikait

The Bharatiya Kisan Union leader appealed to the youth, the civil society and political parties to join the demonstrations on June 24.

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait (File Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will hold a nationwide protest against the Central government’s Agnipath recruitment scheme on June 24. Tikait said the decision in this regard was taken at the Samyukta Kisan Morcha Coordination Committee meeting in Karnal.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union leader appealed to the youth, the civil society and political parties to join the demonstrations on June 24.

“Samyukta Kisan Morcha protests against Agnipath scheme to be held at district and tehsil headquarters across the country on June 24 by the decision of SKM Coordination Committee in Karnal. Appeal to the youth, citizen organizations and parties. The BKU’s planned protest for June 30 will take place on June 24,” he wrote on the micro-blogging platform in Hindi.

Meanwhile, several Congress leaders met President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital this evening to discuss this issue.

The Congress delegation, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot, also raised the mistreatment of MPs by the police during the demonstrations.

Due to the ongoing protests against this scheme, several trains have been cancelled mainly on the Northern, Western, and Central Railway.

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 the 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.

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