Agnipath protests cast shadow on bypolls in UP and Punjab

(Image: AP)

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on June 19 accused the Opposition parties of ‘misleading’ the youth against the Agnipath recruitment scheme. Adityanath was campaigning for Bhojpuri star Dinesh Lal Yadav, popularly known as Nirahua, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Azamgarh bypolls.

“The world has welcomed the scheme, but the Opposition parties are misleading the youth due to their bad nature of playing with the lives of the youth,” Adityanath said at a public meeting in Azamgarh’s Chakrapanpur amid protests by youth, mostly armed force aspirants, against the scheme.

Follow our LIVE coverage of the Agnipath protests here

Nirahua is up against Samajwadi Party (SP)’s Dharmendra Yadav, former MP and cousin of Akhilesh Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s Shah Alam, a former MLA in the seat where bypoll was necessitated after Akhilesh Yadav decided to vacate it.

The Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment of soldiers has made it to the political campaigning for by polls to be held for Lok Sabha and Assembly seats across six states, including UP and Punjab, later this week.

“When I reach Lok Sabha with your blessings, firstly I will strongly oppose this (Agnipath) decision of BJP. Reports of injustice against youths are coming from across the country including Varanasi, Ballia and Bihar… I will strongly fight against this BJP’s scheme,” SP’s Dharmendra Yadav said addressing a group of youths in the constituency on June 17.

Bypolls are also scheduled to be held in Rampur Lok Sabha seat after SP leader Azam Khan to vacate his parliamentary seat and, instead, take up his state assembly seat.

READ | Rampur, Azamgarh LS bypoll | Popularity test for BJP, battle of prestige for SP

Protests over Agnipath scheme assume significance in the region as Rampur and adjoining districts comprise a sizeable number of armed forces aspirants. The on-going protests were reported mostly from Ballia, which is adjoining Azamgarh.

SP’s Asim Raja is up against BJP’s Ghanshyam Lodhi in Rampur. BSP has not fielded any candidate form here. The campaigning for the June 23 polls is underway in the last phase.

In Punjab’s Sangrur too, the Agnipath issue has emerged as a burning issue in the constituency. Here the bypoll was necessitated after the incumbent MP and AAP leader, Bhagwant Mann, took over as the Punjab chief minister in March this year.

सेना भर्ती में केंद्र सरकार की नई योजना का देश में हर तरफ़ विरोध हो रहा है। युवा बहुत नाराज़ हैं। उनकी माँग एकदम सही हैं।

सेना हमारे देश की शान है, हमारे युवा अपना पूरा जीवन देश को देना चाहते हैं, उनके सपनों को 4 साल में बांधकर मत रखिए।

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— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 16, 2022

Hundreds of youths, said to be army aspirants, protested against the scheme outside Mann’s house in Sangrur On Friday. There was a protest outside BJP’s Sangrur candidate Kewal Dhillon’s office on Sunday as well.

Punjab chief minister Mann, and AAP chief, Arvind Kejriwal have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to roll back Agnipath scheme.

"After stopping army recruitments for two years, centre's new diktat - stay in Army for four years, and then don't get pension. This is an insult for army and a deception for the youth of the country. The youth across the country is angry. The decision has been taken without deliberation. We demand that decision be revoked," Mann said in a tweet.

Also read | Agnipath on the boil: All about the defence hiring scheme and changes made to stop unrest

BJP ally Punjab Lok Congress, headed by ex-CM Captain Amarinder Singh, has also called for reviewing the Agnipath scheme. Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president, Sukhbir Badal, also urged PM Modi to withdraw the scheme and restart the armed forces recruitment as done earlier.

Unveiling the scheme on June 14, the government said youths in the 17 and-a-half and 21 years age group would be inducted for a four-year tenure while 25 percent of them to be inducted to regular services subsequently. The upper-age limit was later increased to 23 years as a one-time waiver amid protests across the country.

A nationwide call for Bharat Bandh on June 20 has been announced against the Centre's newly introduced 'Agnipath' scheme for short-term recruitment in the armed forces.