Cong wants 'white paper' from Modi govt on Agnipath scheme, alleges 'discrimination'

Amid a row over compensation to "Agniveer" martyrs, the Congress on Thursday said the government should bring a "white paper" on the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment, so that the country gets to know the reality of the ground situation.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress's ex-servicemen department chief Colonel (retired) Rohit Chaudhry claimed that the family of late "Agniveer" Ajay Singh from Punjab's Ludhiana has got only Rs 48 lakh from the Centre, while it has received Rs 1 crore from the Punjab government and Rs 50 lakh as insurance money from a private bank.

His remarks came a day after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh "lied" in Parliament about the issue of compensation to the families of martyred Agniveers and demanded an apology for it.

Gandhi had also referred to a purported statement of Ajay Singh's father.

Ajay Singh's father purportedly said in a video shared by Gandhi on X that even though Rajnath Singh has said the families of martyrs have been given a compensation of Rs 1 crore, no such assistance has been received by his family.

The Indian Army, however, later rejected claims on social media that compensation has not been paid to the next of kin of Agniveer Ajay Singh, who lost his life in the line of duty, and said his family has already been given Rs 98.39 lakh of the due amount.

The total amount will be Rs 1.65 crore approximately, it said in the "clarification" that came after Gandhi shared the video on the microblogging platform.

Chaudhry said, "In Parliament, the defence minister gave incomplete information to the country, which created an atmosphere of doubt. As the main opposition, it is our responsibility to raise the issue of discrimination being carried out with the Army and Agniveers." "Rahul Gandhiji says there should be no discrimination with the soldiers and martyrs of the country. This is not just a matter of martyred Agniveer Ajay Singh, but of the 13 Agniveers who have been martyred so far," he said.

Chaudhry said the government should bring a "white paper" on the Agnipath scheme, the discrimination between Agniveers and regular soldiers and the assistance amount to be given to the families of martyrs.

He said if the Congress comes to power, it will scrap the Agnipath scheme, "Agniveers" will be made permanent, the old recruitment process in the armed forces will be restored and the 1.5 lakh youngsters, who were not taken into service despite selection, will be inducted in the forces.

Addressing the presser along with Chaudhry, Wing Commander (retired) Anuma Acharya alleged that the Narendra Modi government is bringing out half-truths, entangling them in technical intricacies and using the Additional Directorate General of Public Information's official X handle to mislead the people of the country. "We condemn this," she added.

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