Youth Totally Against Agnipath Scheme: Congress

TPCC president Revanth Reddy today said that the Congress was totally opposed to the Centre's controversial Agnipath scheme.

Speaking to media persons at his residence in Jubilee Hills along with AICC secretary S A Sampath Kumar, Reddy said that the youth were against the contract recruitment part of the scheme, and that Friday's violence in the Secunderabad railway station was an outcome of the anger of the youth.

He said that farmers and soldiers were the strength of the nation, and that the Congress was pained at the violent incidents across the country.

He also alleged that the union government was tabling laws in Parliament after implementing them instead of before, and demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw the controversial scheme that would render the youth jobless after serving the army for four years.

Revanth Reddy also slammed union minister G Kishan Reddy for levelling "baseless allegations" against the Congress. He asked Kishan Reddy why the TRS and MIM would have carried out the attack on the Secunderabad railway station on a call given by the Congress, and if the union minister had lost his senses. Referring then to the attacks in the Varanasi constituency, Revanth Reddy asked Kishan Reddy if the Congress was also behind those, too.

Revanth Reddy also said that he would visit the family members of Damira Rakesh, the victim of Friday's police shooting at the Secunderabad railway station, as per the directions of the AICC. Reddy was earlier arrested near Ghatkesar while travelling to Warangal to participate in the funeral procession of Rakesh. Protesters also tried to attack the Warangal railway station during the funeral, and policemen and protesters clashed at several places. The funeral procession was diverted by the protesters towards the Warangal railway station, but the police prevented them from doing so, following which the protesters turned violent, Reddy claimed.