Also Read | Agnipath scheme: Women will be allowed to apply in recruitment of soldiers
Hundreds of army hopefuls disrupted train and road traffic while police fired tear gas shells to disperse them during violent protests across India, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, over the Central government's Agnipath armed forces recruitment scheme.
While opinions are divided on the Agnipath scheme, here are different takes from various people across fields.
BJP National Secretary Y Satya Kumar shared a tweet that showed Indian Defence Service chiefs hailing the Agnipath scheme. He asked people if they should trust the Army Chiefs or “those opposition who never allowed the modernization of our Forces?".
As a reply, one Twitter user wrote, “Reforms ok, but govt fail to assess the mood of youth, would have complete on going process, then would introduce new method of recruitment here mistake by govt this being en cash by opposition."
As over 500 protestors ransacked and arsoned the BJP office in Madhepura, one user wrote that he stood strong with BJP Bihar as the violence was unacceptable. “But I request not to do bulldozer politics against the protestors as BJP did in Delhi, UP and MP for particular community protesters," he wrote.
Actor Prakash Raj asked for people’s opinion on the Agnipath scheme. One of them wrote, “This will make children @ 17 yrs finish just high school and not even go to College. We would make them decide their future when they are not even 18. They will suffer at 21 years without a degree, knowing just to drive and fight and 11 lakhs won't save them all."
Another user wrote, “After 4 yrs completion, govt might give more opportunity in govt jobs with priority to these guys who joined army.. Just thinking.. What about who want pursue their career in different fields?"
“f 75% are terminated after 4 years, how can we expect them to show same dedication like regular soldier. It's like daily discriminating them like contract workers in government college," wrote another user while another wrote, “For army, it's a good scheme to inject new blood."
Write Zainab Sikandar, known as one of the harshest critics of the Narendra Modi government, wrote: “After 3 days of violent protests due to Agnipath scheme, it is clear as day that extrajudicial punishments like bulldozing houses & shops of "violent protesters" is only reserved for Muslims in India. Islamophobia is at its zenith in India and it will turn worse."
“Govt needs to clarify: 1. Will Agnipath scheme affect normal recruitment? 2. Are selections under normal recruitment process & Agnipath scheme 2 different things? Like the many efforts BJP puts in publicity of schemes, why not put the same efforts in clarifying same schemes?" wrote political observer Anshul Saxena.
The Home Ministry has decided to give 10 percent reservation to Agniveers to Agniveers for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles.
“Instead of all this, govt should announce that all vacancies of army, iaf & navy will be filled regularly every year like before and Agniveer will be a parallel scheme to get in the forces," one user wrote in reply to the Home Ministry’s announcement.
Another user wrote, “Now it sounds good. These exercises should have been done before launching the schemes. Repeated immature decisions are taken to be embarrassed by the government itself. Discussion & communication is very necessary before coming up with these types of schemes."
