Agniveer for benefit of business house, PM doesn’t want to spend on soldiers’ salary: Rahul

PTI, Feb 16, 2024, 5:44 PM IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the Narendra Modi government, alleging that it brought the Agniveer scheme to spend the defence budget for the benefit of a big business house, instead of for emoluments paid to the soldiers.

Gandhi made the allegation at Mohania in Kaimur district of Bihar, bordering Uttar Pradesh, a region from where youngsters are known to enrol in the armed forces on a large scale and which was witness to extensive protests against the Agniveer scheme two years ago.

“An Agniveer will not get salary and pension on par with a regular army soldier nor will he get access to the canteen. Worse still, he will not be treated a martyr (in case of death on duty), even though he will be discharging his duties with the same passion as a regular jawan,” Gandhi said.