Chandigarh, June 19
The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday tweeted a video showing Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann greeting people during a roadshow for Sangrur bypoll.
The Chief Minister is seen standing through the sunroof of his SUV, when a man in a black t-shirt standing on the road is seen waving and shouting Mann’s name.
The reason why Punjab loves @BhagwantMann ??
Punjab CM STOPPED his roadshow for #SangrurBypoll to listen to a youth protesting against #AgnipathScheme pic.twitter.com/PVXiTU0MYI
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 19, 2022
As per the video tweet, the man was protesting against the new military recruitment scheme ‘Agnipath’ and he wanted to talk to the Chief Minister.
Soon, the convoy stopped and the man ran towards the Chief Minister’s car. He shook hands with Mann, and said, “All the leaders should have met and discussed ‘Agnipath’ before implementing it.”
The Chief Minister while holding the protester’s hand, replied, “If MPs will meet to discuss ‘Agnipath’, I will personally go there.”
Agnipath scheme was launched by the Centre on June 14 for recruitment of soldiers below the rank of commissioned officers into the three services of the armed forces. It is scheduled to be implemented from September.
The scheme has been criticised for lack of consultation and public debate. Opposition has alleged that the scheme would bypass many things, including long tenures, pension and other benefits.
Violent protests have erupted in several states since its launch demanding for its rollback.