Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the union government has kept India "on a permanent boil" in the last few years and urged not to be "stubborn".
He was speaking about the violent protests spurred by the new military recruitment scheme Agnipath. Pilot compared the issue to the long protests related to the new farm laws. He asked the Centre not to repeat the same mistake and withdraw Agnipath.
The leader from Rajasthan pointed out that factors such as rejection of the 'Agnipath' scheme, unemployment, and economic and agrarian distress have culminated in the "severe backlash" from the youth. He added that the BJP-led government should stop blaming the Opposition parties for the genuine grievance of the youth and avoid the blame game.
Being a Captain in the Territorial Army, he said the government must listen to the voice of young people and not be stubborn in their decision-making and review,and revise. Drawing an example from the repealing of the farm laws after a year, he said the protests against Agnipath are even more serious because it involves the future of the youth. "They must put a stop on this policy immediately"
The former union minister noted that the country has been experiencing acrimony and negativity related to issues of communities, castes, regions, and religions. He noted that the youngsters protesting on the streets are from rural backgrounds and they see their families under long-term financial stress. He added that the backlash is a culmination of inflation, joblessness, and insecurities.
Pilot also criticised the Centre's attitude to legislate first and discuss later. "Similar to farm laws, the government came up with the Agnipath scheme. Then in a knee-jerk reaction after the announcement of the initial scheme, it has come up with a slew of changes. All these reactions are indicative of the fact that the policy was not well thought out".
He added that youngsters who join the armed forces are from families of farmers and humble backgrounds. "These young people will lose the opportunity to serve this country as patriots and soldiers. The issue has become more grave because there is acute joblessness, unemployment is at a record high."
The Congress leader also urged the Centre to assess the risk of taking a chance with armed forces at two active borders with Pakistan and China.