`Fauz par reham kijiye`: Owaisi slams PM Narendra Modi over Agnipath recruitment scheme

The Lok Sabha MP`s statement came two days after the Centre announced to recruit jawans into the army, the navy and the air force for a four-year-period.

New Delhi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday (June 16, 2022) slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Centre's new Agnipath scheme and asked him to "have mercy on the Indian Army". Taking to his official Twitter account amid protests over the recruitment scheme that envisages a short four-year term for soldiers in the three armed forces, the Lok Sabha MP asked PM Modi to take back the scheme immediately.

"After ruining the country's economy, social harmony and agricultural system, now at least have mercy on the army," Owaisi said in a tweet.

His statement came two days after the Centre announced to recruit jawans into the army, the navy and the air force for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits. It, however, has drawn sharp criticism from several Opposition party leaders and has led to widespread protests.

The government, however, has claimed that there is no change in the Army recruitment system under the Agnipath scheme and the number of personnel to be recruited in the first year of its rollout would only make up to three percent of the armed forces. The Modi-led government has also called it a "transformative" scheme.