Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has targeted the central government amid protests across the country against the Agneepath scheme. Talking about the Agneepath scheme on the 56th foundation day of Shiv Sena on Sunday (June 19, 2022), Thackeray said, “Will you take out tenders for Prime Minister and Chief Minister also tomorrow?
Mocking the scheme, Uddhav Thackeray said, “Tomorrow you will want a government on hire and bring out tenders. You will release tenders for a Chief Minister or a Prime Minister? If you want to run things like this apply the hiring concept to everything. Hire and fire. Use and throw.”
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Attacking the central government, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra said that earlier farmers had taken to the streets against the agricultural laws of the Centre. The Shiv Sena chief said that you should give only those assurances, which you can fulfill.
Uddhav Thackeray asked, “Why give names like ‘Agniveer’ and ‘Agnipath’ to schemes which have no meaning? What will the youth aged 17 to 21 years get after four years?”
“Having soldiers on contract is dangerous, and playing with the ambitions and lives of youth is wrong. There is no use of only speaking about Lord Ram, if the youth do not have jobs,” the Sena president said.
The Centre had on Tuesday announced the scheme, saying youth between the ages of 17 and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure in the armed forces, while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service.