Rahul Gandhi misleading nation on Agnipath scheme, says Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh. Pic/PTI

Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was misleading the nation on the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath scheme and added that he was ready to make a statement in this regard in Parliament, reported news agency PTI.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha shortly after Gandhi's remarks on the Union budget, the defence minister said the opposition leader had tried to spread a lot of misconceptions about the budget and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would provide clarification when she replied to the debate, reported PTI.

Singh said Gandhi was trying to mislead the nation about the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath scheme.

"Our jawans protect the country's borders, it is such a sensitive issue of our national security. There are attempts to mislead the nation on the Agniveer issue, I am ready to make a statement whenever you permit," Singh said, reported PTI.

Gandhi said the defence minister had told the House that the family of an Agniveer martyr was paid compensation of Rs 1 crore but it was only insurance payment and not compensation, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi used the 'chakravyuh' metaphor as a leit motif to say that an atmosphere of fear pervades the country and allege that the budget's sole aim was to strengthen the framework of monopoly capital, political monopoly and the deep state, reported PTI.

Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Union Budget of 2024-25, Gandhi claimed the fear is spreading through a 'chakravyuh' with everybody trapped in it, including BJP MPs, farmers and workers.

"Thousands of years ago in Haryana, in Kurukshetra, six people killed a youth, Abhimanyu, in a 'chakravyuh'. A 'chakravyuh' has violence and fear. Abhimanyu was trapped and killed in the 'chakravyuh'," he said, reported PTI.

Gandhi's reference was to the Mahabharat legend according to which Abhimanyu was killed in a 'chakravyuh' -- a multi-tiered maze and formation -- in which he was trapped.

He said the 'chakravyuh' is also called a 'Padmavyuha' which is a multi-tiered formation that looks like a lotus (the BJP symbol).

"You build a 'chakravyuh', and we break the 'chakravyuh'," Gandhi said, asserting that the opposition would break this cycle by carrying out a caste census, reported PTI.

"In the 21st century, another 'chakravyuh' has been prepared, it is in the form of lotus and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) wears the symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhinmanyu is being done with youth, women, farmers and MSMEs," he said, reported PTI.

The Congress leader said the 'chakravyuh' that has captured India has three forces -- the idea of monopoly capital and concentration of financial power; institutions and agencies such as the CBI, ED and IT department; and the political executive.

(With inputs from PTI)