Agnipath row: Cong delegation meets President Kovind

 New Delhi: A seven-member Congress delegation led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) and including two Chief Ministers on Monday met President Ramnath Kovind to submit a memoranda with two demands in connection with army recruitment scheme ‘Agnipath’ and police action during Congress’ protest.

“(We) urge the government to withdraw Agnipath scheme, hold wide consultations and address issues of quality, efficiency and economy, without compromising on welfare of Armed Forces,” was the first demand.

“To register strongest possible protest against the vicious and unprovoked attack unleashed on Congress MPs by Delhi Police, which comes under the direct purview of Union Home Ministry, and ensure a time-bound enquiry by the Privileges Committee on the breach of privilege,” was the second demand as mentioned by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in his tweets.

The delegation marched from Vijay Chowk to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and handed over a two-page memoranda, signed by multiple Congressmen, to the latter.

Apart from LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and other Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, K.C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and P. Chidambaram were part of the delegation.

The Agnipath scheme, termed as a historic and transformative measure by the Union government, has met unprecedented levels of agitations and protests in several states across India.

Earlier, during the day, senior Congress leaders and parlimentarians had registered their protest over the Agnipath scheme and also their leader Rahul Gandhi’s questioning by Enforcement Directorate (ED) through a ‘Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar. (IANS)