Youths have 'many doubts, questions' on Agnipath: BJP MP Varun Gandhi
New Delhi(PTI): BJP Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi on Wednesday raised questions on the newly announced Agnipath scheme for recruitment of soldiers into the armed forces, saying a government is elected for five years then why are youths being given four years to serve the nation.
Taking to Twitter, the Pilibhit MP, who has often been taking a divergent view from the party on various issues, shared a video of youngsters expressing their concerns about the transformative scheme that the government had on Tuesday unveiled for the recruitment of soldiers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force.
Personnel will be recruited largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis, in a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to bring in fitter and younger troops to deal with future security challenges facing the nation.
Sharing the remuneration details of the new recruitment scheme for defence forces, Varun Gandhi in a tweet invited opinions about this plan while adding that there are many "questions and doubts" in the minds of the youths regarding the Agnipath scheme.
Citing the video of youngsters who responded to his tweet, he said even government is elected for five years then why only youths are being given four years to serve the nation.
Meanwhile, the BJP-led government at the Centre on Wednesday announced a raft of post-retirement employment possibilities for 'Agniveer' like priority in recruitment to the central armed police forces (CAPF) and Assam rifles.
However, it failed to assuage the concerns of the opposition Congress which warned the scheme will reduce the operational effectiveness of the armed forces.
सरकार भी 5 सालों के लिए चुनी जाती है। फिर युवाओं को सिर्फ 4 साल देश की सेवा करने का मौका क्यों? #AgnipathRecruitmentScheme https://t.co/tvdeXdv3bl
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) June 15, 2022
आदरणीय @rajnathsingh जी,
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) June 16, 2022
'अग्निपथ' योजना को लेकर देश के युवाओं के मन में कई सवाल हैं।
युवाओं को असमंजस की स्थिति से बाहर निकालने के लिए सरकार अतिशीघ्र योजना से जुड़े नीतिगत तथ्यों को सामने रख कर अपना पक्ष साफ करे।
जिससे देश की युवा ऊर्जा का सकारात्मक उपयोग सही दिशा में हो सके। pic.twitter.com/6UkcR4FEBJ
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
