Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday accused Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of 'lying' in Parliament about compensation for the families of 'martyr' Agniveers and demanded an apology. The Congress leader posted a video on X allegedly featuring the father of a deceased Agniveer, who claimed that despite Rajnath Singh's assertion that Rs 1 crore in compensation had been given to the families of martyred Agniveers, his family had received no such assistance. In the video message, Gandhi emphasised that in his parliamentary speech, he mentioned that upholding the truth is the foundation of every religion.

"In reply, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, before Lord Shiva's photo, lied to the country, its armed forces and Agniveers about compensation," Gandhi said in the video.

Rahul also referred to the purported statement by the father of an Agniveer martyr, Ajay Singh.

"Rahul Gandhi is raising our voice in Parliament that families of martyrs must get all necessary help. Agniveer recruitment must stop and regular recruitment should be reinstated," he said.

 Gandhi said the defence minister had "lied" to the family of martyr Ajay Singh, the armed forces, and the youth of the country and must apologise to them.

Gandhi's fresh attack comes after Rajnath Singh rebutted the claim by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, saying it was rolled out after taking suggestions from 158 organisations.

During Gandhi's speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President Droupadi Murmu's address, Singh intervened to state that an Agniveer who dies in the line of duty receives a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
Singh requested Gandhi not to mislead Parliament and asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to remove Gandhi's statements on the Agnipath scheme from the record.

The defence minister remarked, "I request the leader of the opposition not to mislead Parliament. The Agniveer scheme was developed after consultations with many individuals and 158 organisations, incorporating their suggestions. It was implemented after extensive consideration."

"And, I would also like to make it clear that these kinds of schemes are operational in many countries. It is there in the US and in the UK. People there do not have any objection. Without understanding the Agniveer scheme, without getting proper information about it... to mislead the House like this, cannot be deemed appropriate," the minister added.

After Singh's rebuttal, Gandhi said, "Rajnath Singh has an opinion and I have an opinion but Agniveers know the truth. Agniveers know what they have to face."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the Congress party for opposing reforms aimed at enhancing the Indian Army, specifically targeting their criticism of the Agniveer scheme.

“Congress opposes every reform that strengthens the army. Now Congress has realised that the energy of the youth is the biggest strength of the army. Outright lies are being spread regarding army recruitment so that the youth of my country do not join the army. I want to know through the House for whom does the Congress want to weaken our armed forces, and for whose benefit are the Congress members spreading so many lies regarding the armed forces? We are modernising our armed forces so that they can face any challenge and give a befitting reply. We are making reforms to make our troops battle-ready,” said Prime Minister Modi in the Lok Sabha.


(With inputs from Agency)