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New Delhi [India], May 4 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated that his party will scrap the Agnipath Scheme in case the INDIA bloc is voted to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and said that 1.5 lakh youth who had completed the Army recruitment process should be compensated.

"We have said in our election manifesto that we will roll back Agniveer Scheme. Your dream to join the Army has not been fullfilled," Rahul Gandhi said while interacting with the youth "impacted" by the Agnipath scheme at New Delhi's Jawahar Bhawan.

"1.5 lakh youth who had completed the Army recruitment process should be compensated. There should be a way out. It will be analysed (If INDIA bloc is voted to power)," he said.

Rahul Gandhi had claimed that the Indian Army was against the idea of the Agnipath scheme, adding this policy was the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all decisions regarding it were taken in the Prime Minister's Office.

"Earlier poor used to join the Army, they used to get pension. Now they are training an individual for 4 months whereas a Chinese soldier is getting training for five years. You know what will happen, and when that agniveer dies he won't get anything no pension, no canteen. We will abolish this scheme once our government comes to power. Interstingly, even the Army is against the Agniveer scheme. This scheme was the idea of the Prime Minister and its decision was taken in the Prime Minister office," Rahul Gandhi had said.

Congress in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls has promised to abolish Agnipath Scheme and return to the normal recruitment processes followed by the Army, Navy and Air Force. "It will guarantee economic and social security for our soldiers," the manifesto read.

The Agnipath scheme was announced by the Centre in June 2022.

This model seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them in regular service.

Those recruited under the scheme are called 'Agniveers'. (ANI)