PM Modi Making His Friends 'Daulatveer', Turning Youth Into 'Agniveers', Says Rahul Gandhi

"The prime minister is making his friends 'daulatveer' (rich) by handing them country's airports for 50 years while making youths 'Agniveers' on a four-year contract," Gandhi tweeted. 

Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi. ( Image Source :Getty Images )

New Delhi: Using words to bash the BJP over the Agnipath project, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making his cronies "daulatveer" by giving them airports for 50 years while making youngsters "Agniveers" on a four-year contract, news agency PTI reported.

The former Congress chief's criticism came on the same day that the party's leaders and activists staged a "peaceful Satyagraha" in all assembly seats to demand that the new military recruiting programme be scrapped.

"The prime minister is making his friends 'daulatveer' (rich) by handing them country's airports for 50 years while making youths 'Agniveers' on a four-year contract," Gandhi tweeted. 

प्रधानमंत्री अपने ‘मित्रों’ को 50 साल के लिए देश के एयरपोर्ट देकर 'दौलतवीर' और युवाओं को सिर्फ़ 4 साल के ठेके पर 'अग्निवीर' बना रहे हैं।

आज देश भर में कांग्रेस पार्टी ‘अग्निपथ’ के ख़िलाफ़ #SatyagrahaForYouth कर रही है। जब तक युवाओं को इंसाफ़ नहीं मिलता, ये सत्याग्रह नहीं रुकेगा।

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 27, 2022

"The Congress party is doing #SatyagrahaForYouth against Agnipath across the country today. This satyagraha will not stop until the youth get justice," he said.

Following the announcement of the Agnipath scheme for the armed services on June 14, several states witnessed demonstrations, including uncontrolled violence. The scheme  plans to recruit young people aged 17 and a half to 21 for four years, with the option of retaining 25% of them for another 15 years. The upper age restriction has been raised to 23 years.

On June 20, the Congress held a peaceful Satyagraha in Jantar Mantar in New Delhi as well as in several states on the issue.

Congress members also marched peacefully from Parliament. A group of top politicians wrote to President Kovind, pleading with him to abandon the contentious project. The president is the supreme commander of the armed forces.

(With Inputs From PTI)