‘Will lead to gang wars’: RLP in Rajasthan protests against Agnipath defence recruitment scheme

On Wednesday, RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal said that he was part of a delegation from nearly eight states that had met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in April and requested him to hold the army recruitment rallies at the earliest, especially considering how they were affected in the last two years due to Covid.

“Results are pending somewhere while the joining is pending elsewhere so he gave us an assurance that a two-year relief (in eligibility criteria) will be given and the army recruitment rallies will start afresh,” said Beniwal, who is an MP from Nagaur.

“The government had a loss of face due to farmers’ protests and had to withdraw the farm laws. The Agnipath scheme will be opposed in the same manner. Since we are a party of jawan (youth) and kisan (farmers), we have decided to protest at district headquarters (on Thursday). We will march to the Parliament if necessary and protest during the session,” Beniwal said, adding that people returning after serving will lead to gang wars in the country.

Depending on the issue, Beniwal has supported and opposed the ruling BJP; he was elected as an MP in 2019 from the RLP as a BJP ally. However, the party withdrew support to the BJP over farm laws but recently, its three MLAs voted for BJP-backed Rajya Sabha candidate Subhash Chandra.

On Wednesday, the youth blocked the highway under Jaipur’s Kalwar police station limits for over an hour, leading to a two-kilometre-long traffic jam. The jam was later cleared after police intervention.

On Tuesday, the Centre unveiled Agnipath, a “major defence policy reform” for recruitment into the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force on a short-term contractual basis. The Agnipath scheme is expected to make the permanent force levels leaner in the over 13-lakh strong armed forces.

Most soldiers will leave the service in just four years under the Agnipath scheme. Of the 45,000 to 50,000 recruited annually, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.