Central trade unions, farmers' organisations affiliated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and outfits of agriculture workers pledged support to the nationwide protests against the Agnipath scheme of recruitment in defence forces. The organisations equated the protests with farmers' struggle against the three farm laws and urged the Centre to withdraw Agnipath the way it repealed the three Acts. They have also decided to draft a joint strategy in support of the agitations at national level.
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions expressed serious concern and shock at the move for recruitment in armed forces of the country on fixed term contract without any provisions of pension. "Such a retrograde move is going to severely compromise as well as negatively affect the quality of employment and efficiency of our armed forces, militating against the country’s security as a whole and also the quality of employment, determination and professionalism, much to the detriment of our national interests," CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said in a statement. He said the young soldiers so trained as per armed forces’ standard and deployed under the Agnipath scheme would be terminated from service after four years and thrown into an uncertain future, creating serious hazardous implications for the society as a whole under present brand of authoritarian and divisive governance.
