BIHAR: On Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi administration of introducing the ‘Agniveer’ programme to syphon off military budget emoluments and use it to enrich a large corporate conglomerate. Gandhi made the accusation at Mohania, in the Kaimur district of Bihar, which borders Uttar Pradesh. This is a region where a big number of young people are known to enlist in the military. Two years ago, the area saw widespread demonstrations against the Agniveer plan. Gandhi claimed, “An Agniveer will not get access to the canteen or a salary and pension on par with a regular army soldier.”On June 15, 2022, the government unveiled the ‘Agnipath’ initiative, which aims to hire candidates for the three services who are ‘below the officer’s rank’ for a four-year term as ‘Agniveers’. “This is because the Modi government does not want to spend the defence budget on salary and other perks of soldiers,” asserted the former president of the Congress. It desires to use the funds for a business house’s advantage. Gandhi had earlier in the day declared that if the INDIA alliance wins the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, they would honour the long-standing requests of the nation’s farmers and give a legal guarantee to the minimum support price (MSP) of crops.As part of his “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” he spoke to a group of farmers in Rohtas, Bihar, known as the “Kisan Nyay Panchayat.” He asserted that “cultivators are not getting the remunerative prices for their crops.” We would provide MSP with a legal assurance if the INDIA bloc wins the general elections. Farmers have always received what they have asked for from the Congress. Gandhi declared, “We have always protected the interests of cultivators and will continue to do so, whether it be through loan waiver or MSP.” His remarks coincide with the call for a “Bharat Bandh” by the farmers’ organisation Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday in an effort to pressure the BJP-led federal government to grant the demands of the growers, which include a legally mandated minimum support price for crops. Punjabi farmers started their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on Tuesday, but at the border crossings of Shambhu and Khanauri, which separate Delhi from Haryana, security guards intervened. Since then, the farmers who are protesting have set up camp near the border crossings. On Friday, their discontent reached its fourth day.Gandhi added, “If you look at the media coverage, you find little mention of farmers and other people and opposition leaders like us,” while speaking at the Mohania rally in Kaimur. Modi will be seen occupying space with his pals. “On sometimes, you may also find Nitish Kumar beside the Prime Minister,” the Congress leader added. The comment, which was directed towards the Bihar chief minister who had recently left the opposition group INDIA and joined the alliance led by the BJP, caused the crowds to erupt in laughter.
