Image Courtesy:outlookindia.com
A day after India’s youths called for a Bharat Bandh, farmers bodies called for similar pan-India protests against the Agnipath scheme on June 21 and June 24, 2022. Leaders appealed to people not to fall into the provocation of the BJP-led governments and the Sangh Parivar.
Stating that the Centre announced the scheme after failing on its 2014-promise of two crore jobs annually, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) asked its units and the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) to hold protests.
AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah said the government has announced a fixed term contract of four years, without pension, for the unemployed youth. Most of these aspiring youths historically come from peasant families. “The AIKS strongly condemns the BJP-RSS for spreading canards against protestors and the efforts of the government to suppress the youth using brute force. This move insults the aspirations of millions of unemployed youth who invest a lot in the hope of getting secure jobs. It also undermines the armed forces of our country,” said Mollah.
The organisation also voiced the concern that the scheme will lead to militarisation of society during a time of “state-sponsored fascistic violence against religious and ethnic minorities.” Therefore, AIKS asked that instead of this scheme, the government revoke the recruitment ban in different Public Sector Undertakings like Railways, in universities etc.
Similarly, farmers’ umbrella body Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) called for solidarity protests on Friday. A seven-member coordination committee discussed the move at Karnal, Haryana on Monday.
“When the central government is bent upon destroying the spirit of the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”, it is the duty of the farmer’s movement to stand shoulder to shoulder with the jawans in this struggle,” said the SKM in a press release.
The protests will begin on the same day that the Agniveer recruitment will begin. Farmers will submit memorandums to the President, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, after peaceful demonstrations at the local-level. Leaders also called the scheme anti-military, anti-farmer and anti-national. Further, leaders decried the government for “playing with the national security” and the farmer families of the country. The SKM reasoned that an army job is tied to the economic strength of lakhs of farmer families.
The support from farmers adds to the already huge support from trade unions against the scheme. Even before the Bharat Bandh, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) supported the student condemnation of the Agnipath scheme.
Secretary Amarjeet Kaur spoke about how retired military commanders, experienced in the military establishment, were flabbergasted at the “scatterbrained” scheme. The AITUC said that the scheme will weaken the military establishment and endanger society at large when “Agniveers are let loose on the streets, unemployed and without pension!” It accused the BJP of formulating such schemes with the single goal of winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Agnipath is another step taking the nation into an uncertain future, with unknown consequences,” said Amarjeet, adding, “It gives a lie to the oft repeated claim of the BJP of being ultra-nationalists, when they try to do away with pension and social security for those who have defended the borders of our country, putting their lives at stake!”
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