New Delhi: In an attempt to draw the attention of President Droupadi Murmu towards the Agnipath scheme, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written a letter on Monday, February 26, suggesting that the scheme has done "anyay" (injustice) to lakhs of Indian youth seeking employment in the armed forces.

In his letter, Kharge said that nearly two lakh young men and women were accepted into the three armed services – Navy, Army and Air Force – between 2019 and 2022 but were "cruelly denied the opportunity to serve the country".

"These young men and women had struggled against all odds to pass gruelling mental and physical tests and a written exam. Until May 31, 2022 they believed that they had fulfilled their dreams and were waiting only for their joining letters. On that day, their dreams were shattered by the Government of India's decision to end this recruitment process and replace it with the Agnipath scheme," he wrote.

Kharge also referred to former chief of Army staff General M.M. Naravane's yet to be published memoir, in which he had written that the Army was "taken by surprise" by the scheme.

The Wire has earlier reported that the memoir titled Four Stars of Destiny, earlier to be released on January 15 (which is Army Day) is “awaiting clearance” from the Union ministry of defence and the Union ministry of external affairs and is unlikely to be released before the general elections.

Kharge said that the scheme is "discriminatory" and creates "parallel cadres of soldiers who are expected to work on similar tasks, but with very similar emoluments, benefits and prospects."

"The majority of the Agniveers will be released into an uncertain job market after four years of service, which some have argued could affect social stability," he wrote.

The Congress president underlined that his main purpose of writing the letter is to "highlight the anyay or injustice inflicted on the lakhs of youth whose dreams did not materialise despite the solemn promise made by the Government of India."

"Not only did they spend years in pursuit of this dream but each of the 50 lakh applicants had to pay Rs 250 to collect the application forms and the amount was never refunded, which amounts to a hefty Rs 125 crore taken from these youngsters. The resulting frustration has even led to several reported deaths by suicide," Kharge added.

The controversial Agnipath scheme revamped military recruitment to a four-year tour of duty for 75% of recruits. The remaining 25% would be absorbed on a permanent basis.

Also read: The Agnipath Scheme May Be Designed to Ring the Death Knell of Indian Democracy

In December, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence “recommended” setting up a separate nodal agency in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that will help Agniveers who are not retained by the military in accessing educational and resettlement opportunities.

Urging Murmu’s intervention, Kharge appealed to her to ensure “nyay and justice is done.”

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot reiterated the Congress party's stand that the selected youth should be given jobs.

"The government can spend crores of rupees on events like G20, Prime Minister's aeroplane, projects like Central Vista and their publicity. But playing with the recruitment process of the Army just to save money can become a challenge to the security of the country. Our request is that the youth who were selected should be given jobs," Pilot said.

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