Tejashwi Yadav slams 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme; questions RSS' 'hidden agenda'

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says there were many doubts about the Agnipath recruitment scheme in the minds of the youth and demanded that it be withdrawn.

Amid widespread protests against the Agnipath military recruitment scheme in Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said there were many doubts about the plan in the minds of the youth and demanded that it be withdrawn. 

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he asked whether this was an MGNREGA-like initiative for the educated youth or if there was a "hidden agenda" of the RSS. 

Yadav also appealed to the youth to protest peacefully against the scheme. Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent on the whole issue, he asked. 

He said the government talked about 'one rank, one pension', but has come up with a scheme of "no rank, no pension". 

The former deputy chief minister of Bihar posed 20 questions to the government, asserting that there were many doubts in the people's minds that the government should clear. 

Yadav asked why Agnipath was not for officers to be recruited into the military. "Protests are taking place in many parts of the country, and there is anger among those who want to become soldiers," he said. 

Yadav demanded that the scheme be withdrawn. He dismissed the BJP's claims of blaming the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for arson and violence and said the Centre is responsible for it but blames the Opposition for it.

(With inputs from PTI)