New Delhi, Amid a row over compensation to 'Agniveer' martyrs, the Congress on Thursday said the government should come out with a 'white paper' on the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment, so that the country know the reality of the situation on the ground.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, former Congress military department chief Colonel (retd) Rohit Chaudhry claimed that the family of late 'Agniveer' Ajay Singh from Ludhiana in Punjab only received Rs 48 lakh from the Centre, while he received Rs 1 crore from the Punjab government and Rs 50 lakh as insurance money from a private bank.
His comments came a day after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh "lied" in Parliament on the issue of compensation to the Agniveers' families. martyrs and demanded an apology for it.
Gandhi had also referred to an alleged statement by Ajay Singh's father.
Ajay Singh's father allegedly said in a video shared by Gandhi on
However, the Indian Army later rejected claims on social media that no compensation had been paid to the relatives of Agniveer Ajay Singh, who lost his life in the line of duty, and said his family had already received 98, Rs 39 lakh of the amount due.
The total amount will be around Rs 1.65 crore, he said in the "clarification" that came after Gandhi shared the video on the microblogging platform.
Chaudhry said: "In Parliament, the Defense Minister gave incomplete information to the country, which created an atmosphere of doubt. As the main opposition, it is our responsibility to raise the issue of discrimination that is taking place with the Army and Agniveers ".
"Rahul Gandhiji says there should be no discrimination with the soldiers and martyrs of the country. It is not just martyr Agniveer Ajay Singh, but all 13 Agniveers who have been martyred so far," he said.
Chaudhry said the government should come out with a "white paper" on the Agnipath scheme, discrimination between Agniveers and regular soldiers and the amount of assistance to be given to the families of martyrs.
He said that if the Congress comes to power, it will scrap the Agnipath scheme, the 'Agniveers' will be made permanent, the old recruitment process in the armed forces will be restored and the 1.5 lakh youth, who were not inducted into the service Despite the selection, he will be incorporated into the forces.
Addressing the press along with Chaudhry, Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya alleged that the Narendra Modi government is bringing out half-truths, entangling them in technical complexities and using the official identifier X of the Additional Directorate General of Information Public to deceive the people of the country. "We condemn this," he added.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, former Congress military department chief Colonel (retd) Rohit Chaudhry claimed that the family of late 'Agniveer' Ajay Singh from Ludhiana in Punjab only received Rs 48 lakh from the Centre, while he received Rs 1 crore from the Punjab government and Rs 50 lakh as insurance money from a private bank.
His comments came a day after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh "lied" in Parliament on the issue of compensation to the Agniveers' families. martyrs and demanded an apology for it.
Gandhi had also referred to an alleged statement by Ajay Singh's father.
Ajay Singh's father allegedly said in a video shared by Gandhi on
However, the Indian Army later rejected claims on social media that no compensation had been paid to the relatives of Agniveer Ajay Singh, who lost his life in the line of duty, and said his family had already received 98, Rs 39 lakh of the amount due.
The total amount will be around Rs 1.65 crore, he said in the "clarification" that came after Gandhi shared the video on the microblogging platform.
Chaudhry said: "In Parliament, the Defense Minister gave incomplete information to the country, which created an atmosphere of doubt. As the main opposition, it is our responsibility to raise the issue of discrimination that is taking place with the Army and Agniveers ".
"Rahul Gandhiji says there should be no discrimination with the soldiers and martyrs of the country. It is not just martyr Agniveer Ajay Singh, but all 13 Agniveers who have been martyred so far," he said.
Chaudhry said the government should come out with a "white paper" on the Agnipath scheme, discrimination between Agniveers and regular soldiers and the amount of assistance to be given to the families of martyrs.
He said that if the Congress comes to power, it will scrap the Agnipath scheme, the 'Agniveers' will be made permanent, the old recruitment process in the armed forces will be restored and the 1.5 lakh youth, who were not inducted into the service Despite the selection, he will be incorporated into the forces.
Addressing the press along with Chaudhry, Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya alleged that the Narendra Modi government is bringing out half-truths, entangling them in technical complexities and using the official identifier X of the Additional Directorate General of Information Public to deceive the people of the country. "We condemn this," he added.
