'Centre wants to give jobs to BJP workers': Mamata on Agnipath Scheme

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that she received a letter from the Central government on the Agnipath recruitment scheme in which she has been asked to provide jobs to BJP workers. Addressing a gathering at West Bengal, Mamata said, "I received a letter (from the Centre) in which Centre urged the state govt to give jobs to Agniveers after four years. They want me to give jobs to BJP workers... why should we?... First priority will be given to state youth." Also Read | Udaipur beheading incident: Section 144 imposed across Rajasthan for one month; probe on The new initiative of Centre- The Agnipath Scheme, was launched on June 14, which aims to bring a change in the recruitment process of the Armed Forces. With the new military recruitment scheme facing criticism, the Centre decided to grant a one-time waiver and on June 16 announced that the upper age limit for recruitment via Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years. Meanwhile, Mamata took to his Twitter handle and condemned the Udaipur beheading case. She wrote, "Violence and extremism are UNACCEPTABLE, no matter what! I STRONGLY CONDEMN what happened in Udaipur. As law takes its own course of action, I urge everyone to maintain peace." The horrific incident in Udaipur has caused unrest in many states, especially in Rajasthan. After the incident, Rajasthan government announced the imposition of section 144 of CrPC in all the districts for the next one month. Also Read | Punjab likely to lose Rs 15k crore as GST compensation ends Moreover, Internet services have been suspended in the entire state and Udaipur Divisional Commissioner Rajendra Bhatt appealed to the people to maintain peace. -PTC News