Agnipath scheme will encourage anti-India forces, says former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar 

Senior CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar on September 24 said that the Agnipath scheme will encourage anti-India forces and it will also weaken the Army internally. 

Sarkar was speaking at a party programme in South Tripura’s Rajnagar, where, he termed the said scheme ''an act of enmity to the country''.

Explaining the scheme in his own words, the former chief minister asserted, ''If 100 Agniveers are recruited for four years, 75 per cent will be shown the door and only 25 per cent will be retained in the armed forces after the completion of their tenure.'' 

''Where will they go after four years? There is no answer," added Sarkar.

Sarkar further slammed the government for not providing pensions to these Armymen but the Centre unfortunately has kept Agniveers away from such benefits.

Terming the scheme as an act of enmity to the country, Sarkar said, ''It will weaken the Army internally. This will bring danger to the country. The anti-India forces will be encouraged because of it". 

Sarkar further criticized the Centre over unemployment and said that the unemployment problem has crossed a 50-year record, while public sector undertakings (PSUs) are being sold. 
''How will lakhs of educated youth get jobs if PSUs are sold? This is totally against the youth of the country," he added.