Rahul Gandhi Slams Centre Over 'Agnipath' Row:

On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have to embrace the demand of the young and roll back the Agnipath army recruiting plan, just like he did with the agricultural laws.

The former Congress head further said that the BJP administration had “insulted” the principles of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” over the last eight years.

In Telangana’s Secunderabad, a man was shot dead by police, trains were set on fire, and public and private cars were damaged, as railway stations and roads throughout the country became battlegrounds on Friday amid growing anti-Agnipath rallies.

READ MORE: Congress Urges Parliamentary Panel to Discuss Agnipath Scheme Amid Protests

“I had indicated before too that the prime minister would have to repeal the black farm legislation,” Mr. Gandhi added in a Hindi tweet. “Similarly, he will have to embrace the desire of the country’s young by becoming a’maafiveer’ and returning the ‘Agnipath’ initiative,” he stated.

The government announced the program on Tuesday, saying that adolescents between the ages of 17 and 21 will be admitted for a four-year term, with 25% of the recruits being kept for regular duty.

As objections against the new model for enlisting troops in the Army, Navy, and Air Force grew, the highest age restriction was lifted to 23 years on Thursday.

The government envisioned the new system for soldier recruiting in the three services as a dramatic revamp of the decades-old selection procedure aimed at boosting the three services’ young image.