Agnipath ‘caste’ controversy: It’s a rumour, no changes in rules, Rajnath Singh clarifies

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday alleged that the Indian Army was using caste as a factor for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme, drawing a swift rebuttal from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who rejected the charge as a “rumour”.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue while JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha and BJP MP Varun Gandhi also tweeted a purported document linked to the army’s recruitment exercise to question the need for a caste certificate and raised concerns.

Dismissing the allegation, Singh told reporters in Parliament complex, “I want to make it clear that this is a rumour. The (recruitment) system which was in place before Independence is being continued and there is no change to this.”

The ruling BJP accused the critics of trying to instigate youngsters for street protests and asserted that the army’s recruitment process dates back to pre-Independence. This was formalised by a “Special Army Order” after 1947, and the practice remains the same, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

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