No use chanting Lord Ram's name if youth don't have jobs: Maha CM slams Centre's Agnipath scheme

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray lashed out at the Centre on Sunday over Agnipath, the military forces' short-term recruitment scheme that has sparked violent protests, particularly in north India. So far, there have been no violent protests in Maharashtra over the matter.

While addressing his political party, Shiv Sena, on its 56th anniversary, on Sunday, the party supremo stated that farmers were the first to take to the streets in protest of some of the Centre's agricultural laws. "You must only guarantee what you can deliver," remarked the chief minister. Why give schemes names like 'Agniveer' and 'Agnipath' that imply nothing? He questioned what the youth aged 17 to 21 years would receive after four years.

"Having contract soldiers is risky, and messing with the ambitions and lives of young people is wrong." "It's pointless to talk about Lord Ram if the youth are unemployed," CM Thackeray stated. Despite violent protests against the 'Agnipath' scheme in various regions of the country, he stated Maharashtra remained quiet.

"Today may be my day," he added, "but tomorrow, someone else will emerge as a better option." The Centre launched the scheme on Tuesday, with adolescents aged 17 and a half to 21 years being inducted for a four-year stint in the armed forces, with 25 per cent being later inducted for regular service.

The youths recruited under the new scheme will be known as 'Agniveers.' Later, to pacify the protesters, the government raised the upper age limit for recruitment under the 'Agnipath' scheme to 23 years from 21. As protests grew in various parts of the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal on Saturday to reserve 10 per cent of the jobs in various ministries for recruits under the 'Agnipath' scheme who meet the eligibility criteria.

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