Cong stages rally in protest against Agniveer Scheme
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 6 Aug: Uttarakhand Congress today staged a rally to protest against the Agniveer scheme. The rally was led by Col Rohit Chaudhary (Retd), national president of the Congress Party’s Ex‑Servicemen Cell and senior Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat. Earlier, both of them also addressed a press conference at the Congress headquarters here today where they launched a sharp attack on the Union Government’s Agniveer recruitment scheme. Chaudhary described the Agniveer scheme as a grave threat to India’s military tradition and the national security. He claimed that the short‑term plan has shattered the permanent future and aspirations of the youth of Uttarakhand, a land renowned for its martial spirit. He said the Congress Party would not tolerate any compromise with national security and accused the government of weakening the army’s combat capability and morale by introducing a four‑year contractual service. He emphasised that the country needs a permanent and well‑trained force, not a contract‑based army, and reiterated that once Congress forms the government at the Centre, the Agniveer scheme will be scrapped and the old permanent recruitment process restored.
On the occasion, Congress election management committee chairman and former cabinet minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat also criticised the policy. He stated that every second family in Uttarakhand is connected with the Indian Army and claimed that the youth of the state feel betrayed and disheartened by this flawed approach. He said offering only four years of service leaves young people in uncertainty and Congress will not allow the rights of the state’s youth or national security to be undermined. He added that in the forthcoming assembly elections the people of Uttarakhand will respond to this oppressive scheme by removing the BJP from power.
Immediately after the press conference, a protest rally against the Agniveer scheme was organised under the leadership of Col Rohit Chaudhary and Harak Singh Rawat. The rally began from the Congress headquarters and passed along the Clock Tower, from where the Congress leaders and the workers marched towards Lansdowne Chowk raising slogans against the Union Government. After staging the protest at Lansdowne Chowk, the rally returned to the Congress office. A large number of ex‑servicemen, youth and Congress workers participated in the demonstration.
Those present included Col Ram Ratan Negi (Retd), Gopal Gadia, Balbir Singh Panwar, RP Dhyani, Mahesh Kukreti, Dr Pratima Singh, Abhinav Thapar, Dr Jasvinder Singh Gogi, Ashwini Bahuguna, Surat Singh Negi, Ashok Negi, Shekhar Saklani, Shreejit Krishali, Sanjay Upadhyay, Mohit Uniyal and Sonia Anand Rawat.
