EC egregiously wrong in directing Congress not to 'politicise' Agnipath scheme: P Chidambaram
New Delhi, May 23: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday said the Election Commission was "egregiously wrong" in directing his party not to 'politicise' the Agnipath scheme, asserting that it is the right of an Opposition party to criticise a policy of the government.
The Election Commission Wednesday came down heavily on the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, asking them to desist from campaigning along caste, community, language, and religious lines.
The EC also asked the Congress not to politicise defence forces and make potentially divisive statements regarding the socio-economic composition of the armed forces. The Commission was referring to remarks made by top Congress leaders on the Agnipath scheme.
In a post on X, Chidambaram said the ECI is wrong in directing the Congress party not to 'politicise' the Agnipath scheme.
"What does 'politicize' mean? Does the ECI mean 'criticise'? Agniveer is a scheme, a product of the policy of the government. It is the right of an Opposition political party to criticise a policy of the government and declare that, if voted to power, the scheme will be scrapped," the former Union minister said.
'Agniveer' creates two categories of soldiers who fight together, and that is wrong, Chidambaram said.
'Agniveer' employs a young man for for four years and throws him out without a job and without a pension, and that is wrong, he said.
"Agniveer was opposed by the Army, yet the government thrust the scheme upon the Army, and that is wrong. Hence, the Agniveer scheme must be scrapped," he said.
"ECI was egregiously wrong in giving direction to the Congress party and, as a citizen, it is my right to say that ECI was egregiously wrong," Chidambaram said.
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Rupee falls 32 paise to all-time low of 95.20 against US dollar
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI): The rupee depreciated 32 paise to an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, weighed down by elevated Brent crude oil prices, hovering around USD 122 per barrel, and strong American currency.
Forex traders said the USD/INR pair may see further downside, as rising crude oil prices are likely to sharply impact India's import costs, while concerns over potential wider conflict in West Asia are fuelling investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, the US dollar added to gains after the US FED Reserve kept rates unchanged. Safe-haven demand was also boosted by another diplomatic setback between Washington and Tehran.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.01 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 32 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 20 paise to close at an all-time low of 94.88 against the US dollar.
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"The main effect on the rupee has been from the rising oil prices, which touched USD 120 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continues with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran does not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 3.16 per cent at USD 121.76 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex tumbled 821.79 points to 76,674.57 in early trade, while the Nifty dived 287.3 points to 23,890.35.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 2,468.42 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue with their sale of Indian Equities and debt (the yield touched 7 per cent on Wednesday) and are also dollar buyers consistently," Bhansali added.
