Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Revives Opposition to the Agniveer Scheme over Compensation Issues

Rahul Gandhi criticizes the Agniveer scheme, citing inadequate compensation for a fallen soldier's family. He distinguishes between insurance and government support, accusing the Modi government of discrimination. The Indian Army refutes his claims, detailing payments made and pending.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has again targeted the Modi government’s Agniveer military recruitment scheme as he seeks to draw attention to what he says are shortfalls in compensation that have affected a soldier’s family.

On social media platform X, Gandhi highlighted the plight of the Agniveer Ajay Kumar family whose son was killed in a landmine blast in the Naushera sector of Jammu & Kashmir in January. The Congress MP stated that Kumar’s family has not been given proper compensation by the government, making a distinction between insurance and governmental money.

Gandhi said it: “There is a difference between ‘Compensation’ and ‘Insurance’, the payment has been made to the family of the martyr only by the insurance company. ”He leveled a serious allegation that the Modi government is ‘discriminating’ Agniveers who have laid down their lives for the nation.

This latest critique came after Gandhi had posted a video earlier in the week where Kumar’s father claimed they never received the promised help. The Indian Army quickly countered these remarks stating that they spent ₹98. An amount of ₹ 39 lakhs had already been paid to the family while about ₹ 67 lakhs had been promised as ex-gratia and benefits subject to the police verification.

The Agnipath scheme is something that Gandhi has been criticizing since the beginning, and he continued to do so in his speech at the first sitting of the 18th Lok Sabha. He said it was not the Indian Army’s invention but came from the Prime Minister’s Office like the demonetization move.

The Congress leader promised to keep raising the issue in the same context as the national security concern. He also stated that in the event the INDIA bloc is formed, they will abolish the Agniveer scheme in its entirety.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi’s Reaction to the Deleted Lok Sabha Speech

While the government and the opposition are still in disagreement on military recruitment and compensation, the story of Agniveer Ajay Kumar and his family is at the heart of the current political controversy around the Agnipath scheme.