Agniveer scheme gross injustice to youth: Anand Sharma targets BJP in Kangra

Dharamsala, May 4

Anand Sharma, Congress candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, today kick-started his election campaign by targeting the BJP over the Agniveer Scheme. A considerable number of soldiers serving in the Indian Army and even ex-servicemen belong to the region.

Sharma, while addressing mediapersons in Dharamsala, said, “The country will have to pay dearly because of the Agniveer recruitment scheme. Agniveers will now serve in the Army only for four years. They are not entitled to pension, health benefits or canteen facilities that are given to regular soldiers. This is gross injustice.”

He added, “Ex-servicemen are condemning the Agniveer scheme as the Kangra youth have a tradition of serving in the Army. They are alleging that they are not getting brides as people don’t want to marry off their daughters to temporary soldiers. The Congress after forming government at the Centre will scrap the Agniveer scheme.”

Sharma said that the divide between the rich and the poor in the country was increasing. “One per cent population of the country now owns about 50 per cent wealth. The lower 50 per cent population owns just 20 per cent wealth of the country. This disparity is dangerous for the country,” he added.

He claimed that the GDP of the country had grown four times from $480 billion in 2004 to $2 trillion in 2014 during the 10-year rule of the UPA government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, in the past 10 years of Narendra Modi government, the GDP had not even doubled, he added.

He said that the BJP was playing divisive politics in the country as well as in Himachal. “The BJP is trying to divide people on the basis of religion in the country and on the basis of regions in states. India is a diverse country where such divisive politics should be avoided,” he added.

Sharma listed development projects that he as Union Minister had allocated to the state, particularly the Kangra region. He said that during his stint as Union Minister, he had approved the setting up of a National Institute of Fashion Technology in Kangra, industrial area in Kandrori of Kangra district, IIT in Mandi, IIM in Sirmaur, tea board office in Palampur for the promotion of Kangra tea and a host of other projects.