Rahul Gandhi promises to scrap Agniveer scheme (Ld)

Chandigarh, May 22 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said “If the Opposition’s INDIA bloc comes to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, it will dispose of the Agniveer scheme into the dustbin”.

Addressing a public meeting in Haryana's Mahendragarh, Rahul Gandhi said, “PM Narendra Modi has made the jawans of India like labourers...The Army doesn't want the Agniveer scheme. It’s a scheme made by PMO. Once Congress comes to power, we will discard the scheme entirely.”

In his first election meeting in the state, he said, “They (the BJP) say there will be two types of martyrs -- one normal jawan and officer, who will get a pension, martyr status, all facilities and on the other hand, a person from a poor family who has been named Agniveer. Agniveers will neither get martyr status, no pension, no canteen facility.”

Wooing the youth, he said, “The youth of Haryana feels proud to be selected for the Army.”

Taking the cause of protesting farmers, he said, “The farmers of Haryana work in the fields of the country; the Modi government snatched away your rights and abolished the Land Tribunal Bill to help the billionaires; then three (farm) laws came, but the government had to step back.”

The Congress leader accused PM Modi of waiving off the loan of Rs 16 lakh crore of a few capitalists. “If Narendra Modi can waive off the loan of Rs 16 lakh crore of a few capitalists of the country, then the Congress will waive off the farmers’ loans. The amount of money that Narendra Modi gave to the billionaires, we will give that much money to the farmers, labourers and the poor of the country.”

Without mincing words, he said, “Modi-ji has said that waiving off farmers' loans will ruin the habits of farmers. Does loan waiver only ruin the habits of farmers? Not those of billionaires? If waiving off farmers' loans and improving their lives is 'breaking a habit', then we will do this not just once but repeatedly.”

“On June 4, when we come to power, we will waive farmers' debt,” Gandhi added.

Saying PM Modi has lost his reputation, he said, “The image and reputation that PM Modi had is no longer there.”

Responding to the PM calling him a “shehzaada” (prince), Rahul Gandhi said, “I am not a king, PM Modi is. I never want to be one. I am your son, brother but not the king.”

Ten Lok Sabha seats in the state are going to polls on May 25.

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