Agnipath scheme: ‘No question of rollback, scheme will make India strong,’ says NSA Ajit Doval

As the protests and backlash against the newly-introduced Agnipath scheme continue throughout the nation, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has said that there are no questions raised regarding the rollback of the new military recruitment scheme.

Despite the violent protests that sparked controversy across the nation, NSA Ajit Doval said that there is no question about the rollback of the Agnipath scheme, and violence will not be tolerated in the country. He further said that this scheme has been thought over for multiple years, and is not a prompt decision.

While speaking to news agency ANI, Doval said, “There’s no question of a rollback. This (Agnipath scheme) is not a kneejerk reaction that has come overnight. This has been discussed and debated for decades… While everybody realised it was necessary, no one had the will or the ability to take the risk.”

“The whole war is undergoing a great change. We are going toward contactless wars and also going towards the war against the invisible enemy. Technology is taking over at a rapid pace. If we have to prepare for tomorrow, then we have to change,” the National Security Advisor said during an ANI interview.

“The whole war is undergoing a great change. We are going toward contactless wars, and also going towards the war against the invisible enemy. Technology is taking over at a rapid pace. If we have to prepare for tomorrow, then we have to change,” he said.

Further, the NSA said that the Agnipath scheme is directly aligned with the priorities of the PM Narendra Modi led-central government on making the country safe, and strengthening the military forces of India.

Ajit Doval said, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, one of his prime priorities was how to make India secure and strong. That required many avenues, many steps – a multitude of them.”

This comes just a day after several organizations called a Bharat Bandh and shutdown of services, urging the government to immediately withdraw the Agnipath scheme for military recruitment. Many states also saw a lot of violent protests, leading to bouts of arson and destruction of property.