KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, on Tuesday alleged there is indirect pressure on her to appoint Agniveers on state govt jobs after they complete 4 years of service in the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme.
She said, she has received such appeals from a section of the defence personnel. "I recently got a letter on this subject from a colonel. He promised to submit names of Agniveers from a panel who might be hired by the state government "She said. Banerjee added that she would not, under any circumstances, take any action in this direction.
"I give preference to West Bengali youth when hiring for state government posts. This is a dustbin created by the BJP. Why should I clean that up? BJP would be required to empty its own trash can "She made this statement while speaking at a rally in the West Burdwan district's industrial colony of Asansol.
To accommodate some of the Agniveers who won't be kept by the armed services after four years, some of the BJP-ruled states have already stated that they will introduce special recruitment programmes in the state government. The Chief Minister once more pushed for raising the retirement age in the armed forces to 60 years, calling the Agnipath scheme just a "eyewash" before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
She further asserted that the Agnipath scheme is just a ploy by the BJP to generate its own force of armed cadres. Only four of the 100 recruits under the Agnipath initiative will come from ordinary youths, she claimed, while the remaining recruits will come from various BJP organisations.
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