Agnipath protests: MoS Ashwini Choubey appeals for peace; 'Bihar is land of Gautam Buddha'

Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Saturday urged those protesting against the Agnipath scheme to express their views peacefully and avoid resorting to violence. Speaking to Republic TV, the MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and Environment and Climate Change called Bihar the 'Land of Mahavir and Gautam Buddha' and accused Opposition parties of politicising the army recruitment scheme.

"I want to appeal to youths don't give place to violence. Bihar is the land of Mahavir and Gautam Buddha. We never accepted violence in Bihar, because of violence, there is a loss of your and the country. I want to tell the youth to keep their views peacefully. Violence is not a way to express your views," said Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

"If you want to do protest, do it in a peaceful way. You will get a good chance after the training. Opposition and leftist parties are doing politics. Youths should understand the scheme carefully. It is in their and the country's interest," he added. 

Protests over Agnipath scheme grip country

Despite the government allaying fears concerning the Agnipath scheme, aggressive protests, caused by widespread misinformation, were witnessed across states on Friday. Incidents of violence, vandalism, torching of railway trains, stone-pelting and attacks on police personnel were seen in several parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Telangana. Over 300 train services were affected and disrupted across the country. 

Protests continued for the third straight day even as the Centre extends the upper age limit for recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years, as a one-off exception to allow more youth to join the forces. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also announced its decision to reserve 10% vacancies for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles for Agniveers. 

Agnipath is a pan-India short-term service youth recruitment scheme for the Armed Forces. Those inducted into the service will be called 'Agniveers' and will be employed for four years where rigorous military training will be imparted to them. The age group for eligibility under the scheme is 17.5 to 21 years (23 years, as a one-off exception for the year 2022). The starting annual package will be Rs 4.76 lakh, which can be increased to 6.92 lakh by the end of the service.