Congress leader Rahul Gandhi keeps echoing comments made by Islamist groups in the name of criticising the Narendra Modi government. In the latest such incident, he repeated claims made by the banned Islamic group PFI while attacking the Agnipath scheme of the Indian defence forces. Rahul Gandhi said that Angipath Scheme will create unemployed youths trained in guns, which echoes PFI’s claims that the scheme is a ploy to train Hindu youths in weapons to attack Muslims.
During his speech in the motion of thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha on 7 February, Rahul Gandhi claimed that people criticised the Agnipath scheme during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. He said that youths told him that after 4 years of service as Agniveers, they will lose their jobs, and they will not get pensions or any other benefits after retirement.
Claiming that retired army generals have criticised the scheme, Rahul Gandhi said that the retired officers have said that thousands of youths will be given training in weapons, and after some time they will be put into society. ‘There is unemployment, there will be increased violence in the society’, Rahul Gandhi said citing unnamed retired army generals.
A clip of Rahul Gandhi’s speech was shared on Twitter by Twitter user named iMac_too, who pointed out that the Congress leader’s comments are similar to PFI’s claims on the Angipath scheme.
— iMac_too (@iMac_too) February 10, 2023
In his speech, Rahul Gandhi further claimed that senior Army officers have said that they believe that the scheme didn’t come from within the army, idea came from outside. Then Rahul Gandhi claimed in the parliament that the Agnipath scheme came from the RSS and the home ministry. “Senior army officials said this, I am not saying,” he claimed. It is notable that Rahul Gandhi kept referring to the Agnipath scheme as Agniveer scheme. Actually the scheme is named Agnipath, and the soldiers recruited under the scheme are called Agniveers.
Rahul Gandhi further claimed that the scheme has been imposed on the army, and it will weaken the army. He also claimed that the Agnipath scheme was imposed on the army by NSA Ajit Doval. He said that army officers said that they do not want the scheme, but it was forced on them.
With these words, Rahul Gandhi claimed that as the Agniveers will become unemployed after their term in the service is over, they will create violence in the society, as they have training in weapons. This claim is almost similar to what PFI had alleged about the new recruitment scheme for defence forces.
According to a charge sheet filed by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) against several PFI members, the group had described Agnipath scheme as a tool for “Muslim genocide”. From the messages send by the PFI members, it was found that they were spreading propaganda against the scheme to mobilise Muslims against the Indian state.
The message said that the Agnipath scheme would recruit Hindus between the ages of 17 and 21, and impart arms training and army training to them. After their stint in the army is over, they would be walking out in the world with arms training. PFI claimed that Hindus with training in the army will form groups to attack Muslims.
Just like Rahul Gandhi said that the idea of Agnipath scheme came from the RSS and it was forced on the army, PFI also said that Agnipath scheme is an extension of the RSS module to impart arms training to Hindus. PFI even compared the scheme to Israel’s policy on Palestinians, saying that this recruitment scheme will train Hindus to commit genocide against Muslims.
Contrary to Rahul Gandhi’s claim that army officials didn’t want the Agnipath scheme, the fact is that the top brass of the three services has backed the scheme. They say that they need young soldiers, and the scheme is perfect to reduce the average age of the soldiers. The scheme is also vital to keep the bulging pension bill in the defence forces under control, which put a constraint on the upgradation and procurement of weapons and other required items.
The full speech of Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha can be watched below:
