'PM will have to withdraw Agnipath'
New Delhi: After getting "relief" from the summons of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that he was not affected by the ED that had recently questioned him for five days over his alleged role in the National Herald case.
"ED and such agencies don't affect me, even the officers who interrogated me understood that a leader of the Congress party can't be scared and suppressed," the Congress leader said while thanking party workers at the AICC headquarters.
However, acknowledging the party workers' "fighting for democracy", the former party president said that he was proud of the party's fearless workers and leaders. Whatever be the situation, we all together will fight against the 'dictator', he said. "I'm overwhelmed with the support of party workers and leaders who faced atrocities of the government-sponsored administration for protesting against 'vendetta politics'. I was not alone in those five days. All party workers and leaders were with me," he said while thanking party workers.
Taking a dig at the Centre over the 'Agnipath' scheme, he also said that those who talked about 'one rank, one pension' were bringing in 'no rank, no pension'.
"The BJP government which calls itself "nationalist" was "weakening" the armed forces through the 'Agnipath' scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to withdraw the military recruitment initiative just like he rolled back the farm laws," he affirmed.
Addressing Congress parliamentarians and legislators from across the country who converged at the AICC headquarters to express solidarity with him after he was questioned by the ED, Gandhi said that his questioning was an "unimportant" matter and the most important issue in the country is of jobs.
"The spine of the country -- small and medium industries, has been broken by the Modi government. I say to all those who train in the morning to get into the Army, Navy, and Air force that the prime minister has broken the spine of the country and this country will not be able to give jobs to its youth," he said.
"No matter what the government does, it will not be able to give jobs as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed the country to two-three industrialists who cannot ensure jobs to the youth. Now, they have "closed" even the last resort for the youth -- to get into the armed forces," Gandhi alleged
"Now, train in the morning, get into the forces, and then go home. I guarantee that after your stint in the military, you will not get any job," Gandhi said.
"The Chinese army is sitting on our land, it has snatched away over 1,000 square kilometre of our land. This truth has been accepted by the government," Gandhi claimed.
Attacking the government, Gandhi said, "When there is a war, results of this will be evident. They are weakening the army, it will harm the country, and they call themselves nationalists."
