By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Jun 17 (IANS): The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi on Friday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre for its 'Agnipath' scheme which has triggered tension and inflammatory protests in many parts of the country.

As reports of anti-Agnipath agitations pour in from different states, the MVA allies' sharp reactions ranged from "teasing the unemployed youth" to "BJP is anti-army" to "a Jumla-path" on the people of the country.

State Congress President Nana Patole said the BJP at the Centre has imposed yet another 'mindless and arbitrary' decision on the country like many others in the past.

"Only 4 years' service in the armed forces under the cute name of 'Agnipath' means that the youth of the country face a bleak future. Then, these young boys and girls will again be rendered jobless. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making a mockery of the people and deceiving the youth and the jobless of India," said Patole.

Nationalist Congress Party chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said under the BJP rule, the country is witnessing its highest-ever unemployment ratio and the Centre is not serious about finding a long-term solution for the millions of jobless youth.

"The new Agnipath scheme envisages unemployed youths of the country to join the Indian Armed Forces for a short service tenure of four years, and then fails to safeguard the long-term service prospects of these hopeful young men and women. The scheme lacks imagination and direction, and this is evident from the massive protests that have erupted all over the country," said Tapase.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande termed Agnipath as yet another instance of how the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 'anti-army' though our brave soldiers are always prepared to sacrifice their lives for the nation.

"First there was the controversial policy of OROP which was opposed by the armed forces also, and now the Agnipath. Till now the youth could serve for 16 years and then if found physically fit, their tenure could be extended. But Agnipath will completely dilute it," said Kayande.

Slamming the scheme, she said "the 56-inch chest is nothing but a hype of 'Modi and BJP', and now they are even acting against the interests of the courageous soldiers who secure our borders from enemies."

"The Agnipath scheme is clearly an injustice on the young people who are the future of the country. We demand that this scheme should be immediately withdrawn," demanded Kayande.

Tapase said while earlier Modi had promised 'One Rank One Pension', under Agnipath, there will be 'No Rank, No Pension' or even gratuity for the youth who take up the 4-year jobs in the armed forces.

"Under such a scenario, how and where will the youth learn new skills to get them proper jobs after leaving the armed forces, and even the private sector will not accept them with full pay scales and the dignity they deserve," pointed out Tapase.

Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said that presently, there are 62,29,000 vacancies in the Central Government, out of which 2,55,000 are in the Indian Army.

"The decision to recruit only 46,000 of them was made with great fanfare. After six months training and then 3.5 years in the job, those opting will get barely Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 salary, no job security and no future provisions. The BJP government is gambling with the careers of our youths and Agnipath must be rolled back," said Londhe.

The trio of Patole, Tapase and Kayande raised the question of "what happened to Modi's tall promises of two crore jobs every year" made during the 2014 elections, and sought details of exactly how many work opportunities were created in the past 8 years of the BJP rule.

"It was nothing but an election gimmick and now even Agnipath is attracting massive protests by the disillusioned youth all over the country," added Kayande.

"Our valiant soldiers do not care about their lives while guarding the borders of the country. They don't concern themselves about any party or group and messing around with them is like 'compromising' with the nation's security," warned Patole.