Political strategist Prashant Kishor came down heavily on the BJP-JDU conflict stating that their blame game will lead to increased violence in Bihar due to the newly launched Agnipath Scheme.
On June 13, the Union Government launched Agnipath which allows a soldier to join the armed forces for four years. After the completion of four years, only 25% will be retained for permanent employment by the armed forces whereas the remaining 75% will be let go.
However, the Central Government has also promised Agniveers 10% jobs in the Defence Ministry including the Indian Coast Guard, defence civilian posts and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings.
The scheme has not gone down well with youngsters aspiring to be army personnel, with many states witnessing heavy violent protests. In Bihar, young men and army aspirants vandalised public property, burnt trains, and attacked BJP offices and police stations.
Prashant Kishor in his tweet said, “The people of Bihar are bearing the brunt of the conflict between #JDU and #BJP. Bihar is burning and the leaders of both the parties are busy sparring and counter-alleging each other instead of solving the matter.”
His tweet came after a fresh war of words broke out between the Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal, whose house was vandalised by ‘Agnipath’ protesters. He accused the Nitish Kumar government responsible for its “inability to stop attacks” on BJP party workers’ residences.
Reacting to Jaiswal’s comment, JD(U)’s national chief Rajiv Ranjan aka Lalan Singh, said, “The central government took a decision. There are protests in other states too. Young people are concerned about their future, so they came out to protest. Of course, violence is not the way. We can’t accept violence. But the BJP should also listen to what is worrying these young people and their concerns. Instead, the BJP is blaming the administration,” Ranjan said in a video.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Veena Nair | 
