Advisor to the Government of Telangana (SC, ST, BC & Minorities)

Mohammed Ali Shabbir

Convene Assembly session to condemn ‘Agnipath’ scheme, Congress demands KCR

• Shabbir Ali leads Satyagraha at Kamareddy against Agnipath

Hyderabad/Kamareddy, June 27, 2022: Former Minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Monday demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly to condemn and reject the Agnipath scheme launched by BJP Govt at the Centre for recruitment into armed forces.

Addressing the day-long Satyagraha, as part of a nationwide protest conducted by the AICC, at Kamareddy Municipal Office, Shabbir Ali demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Agnipath scheme. He pointed out that CM KCR was still silent on the issue although other TRS leaders opposed the scheme.

Calling the ‘Agnipath’ ill-conceived, Shabbir Ali said that the scheme was aimed at diverting the people’s attention from the rising unemployment in the country. He said there used to be direct recruitment of 50,000 to 80,000 personnel in the Indian armed forces every year. However, by using catchy terms like ‘Agnipath’ and ‘Agniveers’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confined the hiring to below 50,000. Further, all the recruitments under Agnipath are being done on a contract basis.

Shabbir Ali said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has again displayed his arrogance and dictatorial attitude by launching the ‘Agnipath’ scheme without consulting anyone. He said that the country has witnessed huge chaos when PM Modi implemented demonetisation without any planning. Consequently, the entire economy got ruined due to the wrong decision of the BJP Govt. Similarly, he feared that the Agnipath scheme could hurt the morale of the armed forces. He said that the ‘Agniveers’ recruited through the ‘Agnipath’ would spend four years in service under huge mental agony and uncertainty over their future. While only 25% would get absorbed in the armed forces, the remaining 75% of military-trained youth would remain jobless, he said.

“When PM Modi implemented demonetisation and GST, CM KCR was in the forefront to support his moves. KCR went to the extent of stopping opposition Congress legislators from speaking against Modi’s decision in the House. Although some TRS leaders have opposed the Agnipath scheme, KCR is yet to react to the scheme. Why is he afraid of talking against PM Modi and his ill-conceived scheme?” he asked.

He demanded that the Chief Minister convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly and Council to pass a resolution opposing the Agnipath scheme.

Shabbir Ali also condemned the death of a youth in the police firing during the protest against the Agnipath scheme at Secunderabad Railway Station. He alleged that both TRS and BJP Govts were responsible for preventing the violence during the protest against Agnipath.

He said that the BJP Govt got habitual in taking controversial decisions which caused only unrest in the country. He said PM Modi believes only in ‘Headline Management’ and not real administration to keep the people distracted from real issues. He said it was highly unfortunate that the BJP Govt was interfering in the recruitment processes of the armed forces which so far have remained independent.

Shabbir Ali also condemned the statements made by some ministers and senior BJP leaders wherein they promised jobs of watchmen and other skills to the forcibly retired ‘Agniveers’ after four years. He said such statements reflect the cheap mentality of BJP leaders and their lack of respect for the Indian armed forces.

Senior leaders including Kamareddy DCC President Kailas Srinivas participated in the Satyagraha protest.

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