The JD(U) on Thursday added review of the Agnipath Army recruitment scheme to its list of expectations from the new NDA government, apart from four ministerial berths. The party may also push for its long-standing demand of special status for Bihar, now that it is set to be a part of the government at the Centre.
On Thursday, JD(U) supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a series of meetings, including with his 12 newly elected MPs, at his residence on Kamraj Lane in Delhi.
“There is anger among voters with regard to the Agnipath scheme. Our party wants that this scheme is discussed threadbare in the government to remove its flaws,” JD(U) national spokesperson KC Tyagi said after the meetings, while adding that the party’s support to the NDA was “unconditional”. Patna was among the cities that had seen protests against the Agnipath scheme, under which 75% of the new recruits are eased off at the end of four years of service with monetary benefits.
In the Army, two batches of 40,000 Agniveers have already completed training and are under posting. The third batch of 20,000 began training in November 2023. In the Navy, three batches of 7,385 Agniveers have completed training. In the IAF, 4,955 Agniveer Vayu trainees have completed training.
Tyagi also said that Bihar’s demand for special status was justified as after the carving out of Jharkhand, “Bihar was left with hardships and the problem of unemployment”, and that only granting it this tag could help it overcome them.
Asked about the BJP’s push for a contentious uniform civil code, Tyagi said: “We have said there should be wider consultation with all chief ministers and political parties to find a solution.”
Earlier, in an interview to The Indian Express, Tyagi had said while the party was in favor of introducing the “democratic elements” of a UCC, it expected the NDA government to address “sensitive religious” aspects of the proposed changes.
A senior JD(U) leader in Patna said: “We are not applying pressure tactics, but making our stand clear on certain matters. Apart from special category status and ministries, we also want assurance of stability of the NDA government in Bihar, headed by Nitish Kumar.”
The JD(U) leaders present at the meetings at Nitish’s residence included Tyagi, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha, Lok Sabha MPs Lallan Singh and Alok Kumar Suman, apart from leaders such as Ashok Choudhary, Khiru Mahato, Ramnath Thakur, Afak Ahmed, Harshvardhan. Singh, GM Sahin (the party’s J&K president), and general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan.
Suman said while the party leadership would spell out their demand, “we are hoping the JD(U) gets at least four ministerial berths”. As reported by The Indian Express on Thursday, the JD(U) may push for Railways and Transport, along with two minor ministries.
JD(U) MP Lallan Singh said the party’s Parliamentary Board meeting would happen on Friday morning. Noting that the Prime Minister holds the first right to decide ministerial berths, Singh added: “Special status for the state will be discussed with the government, it cannot be discussed in the media. We are with the NDA and will remain with the NDA.”
With 12 MPs, the JD(U) is crucial to government formation at the Center with the BJP short of the majority mark by 32 seats. The other partner the BJP needs to accommodate is the TDP, which with 16 seats will also demand its pound of flesh, including special status for Andhra Pradesh, as he needs funds to build his dream capital city in Amaravati.
Another NDA partner, Chirag Paswan of the LJP (Ramvilas), reiterated his party’s support for Modi on Thursday, praising the PM for his “leadership” ensuring a third straight term for the NDA.