Rahul lying, kin of Agniveer KIA get Rs 1 crore, says Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh was joined by home minister Amit Shah to assert that leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi was making "fabricated and motivated" remarks on 'Agniveers' as the two leaders asserted that families of recruits under the 'Agnipath' scheme get a compensation of Rs 1 crore in case they are "killed in action" just like normal recruits.

Addressing the House, Rahul said, "A few days ago, I met a family of an Agniveer in Punjab who attained martyrdom in a landmine blast. I am calling him a martyr, but govt doesn't acknowledge him as a martyr. The family won't receive a pension or compensation, nor will their son be recognised as a martyr."

Rajnath Singh reacted promptly, saying that the Congress leader was speaking a blatant lie.

Rahul also claimed that the Agnipath scheme was imposed on the Army by the PMO and it didn't have enough acceptance in the armed forces.

The defence minister, in a strong rebuttal to LoP's charges, informed the House that govt held direct consultations with at least 158 organisations before rolling out the project and added that their views and suggestions were factored in.

"LoP must understand the scheme first," Singh said and demanded that Rahul's references to Agniveers be expunged from the House proceedings.

Later, Shah urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that the statements made by Rahul and the defence minister should be scrutinised and the country must be told the truth. "This House is not for spreading lies. Rahul should apologise to the House, to the country and to Agniveers," he said.

The former Congress chief also slammed govt over farmers' issues, saying it did not want to give a legal guarantee to the minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan objected to Rahul's remarks and accused him of "misleading" the House.


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