Akhilesh Yadav, Anurag Thakur spar in Lok Sabha over Agnipath scheme

Parliament Monsoon Session: BJP MP Anurag Thakur and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav spar in Lok Sabha over the Agnipath scheme, with accusations of orchestrated support and political insecurity.

A war of words took place between Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and BJP MP Anurag Thakur over the Agnipath scheme in Lok Sabha on July 30.

Speaking during a discussion on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha, Mr. Yadav accused the government of initially orchestrating supportive tweets from major industrialists to promote the Agnipath scheme.

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"When the Agniveer scheme was first introduced, prominent industrialists were made to tweet that there was no better plan and that they would offer jobs to Agniveers. Perhaps the government remembers this because it admits that the scheme is not right, which is why they are asking their state governments to provide quotas and jobs for returning Agniveers," Mr. Yadav stated, challenging the members on the treasury benches to stand up and declare the scheme beneficial.

In response, former Union Minister Thakur stood in defence of the Agnipath scheme, invoking the military legacy of his home state Himachal Pradesh.

"I come from Himachal Pradesh which gave the first Param Vir Chakra awardee Somnath Sharma, and had the highest number of martyrs in the Kargil War. Yes, I say that the long-standing demand for 'One Rank One Pension' was fulfilled by Narendra Modi's government. And let me make it clear, Akhilesh ji, that the Agniveer scheme guarantees 100% employment," he said.

Mr. Yadav pressed further, questioning if that was the case and if the scheme was so effective, then why the government felt the need to provide a 10% quota for Agniveers in Uttar Pradesh and other states.