Arvind Kejriwal takes U-turn, says AAP will fully support Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the AAP government in Punjab will "fully support" the Agnipath Scheme during the recruitment drives of Agniveers. Kejriwal's clarification came after reports that the Punjab government was not supportive of the recruitment drive. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier criticised the Agnipath Scheme and appealed to the central government to give defence job aspirants the chance to serve the country throughout their life, not just four years.

"We had differences with the Centre on Agnipath Scheme but since the Centre has implemented it, we will support it fully. We will completely cooperate with the scheme and the army," Kejriwal said while replying to a question in his first offline press conference since the formation of the AAP government in Delhi in February 2020.

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Later, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann clarified that directions have been given for "complete support" on the Agnipath scheme. "All deputy commissioners were directed to provide complete support to Army authorities for recruitment of Agniveers in Punjab. Any laxity shall be viewed seriously. Every effort will be made to recruit the maximum number of candidates in the army from the state," Mann said in a tweet.

The Agnipath scheme, launched in June this year, seeks to recruit soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air Force on a short-term contract of four years.