All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has said that honouring the sentiments of the youth from ‘Virbhoomi’ of Himachal Pradesh, the Congress party will withdraw the ‘Agniveer’ scheme when it comes to power at the Centre.

Addressing ‘Privartan Pratigya’ rally at Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district on Friday, she launched a scathing attack on the Central and the state governments and cornered them on the issues of inflation, unemployment, economic crisis, horticulture crisis and the implementation of ‘Agniveer’ scheme.

Terming the ‘Agniveer’ scheme wrong, she said that the four years contractual job under the scheme was not in the interest of the country and the youth.

She said: “Himachal Pradesh is not only the land of gods but also the land of brave hearts. The state has given many martyrs to the country. Even today the sons of the state are protecting the country on the borders.”

“However, the BJP has snatched their life security by bringing ‘Agniveer’ scheme. The youth think that they will protect the country and the country will protect them. However, the BJP has no concern for their future,” she said.

Referring to the heroes of Kangra, she asked the people to be proud of belonging to the region that is the land of martyrs.

Remembering former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, she said: “I am also the daughter of a martyr and understand your bravery and your passion. The passion I have seen in my grandmother and father.”

Before addressing the rally, she visited Jawala Devi Shaktipeeth to pay her obeisance and seek blessings.

Hitting at the BJP state government, she said that during the tenure of the saffron party in the state, there have been a number of scams including PPE kits, police recruitment and recruitment of teachers.

“The Congress has come up with some guarantees. If the party forms the government in the state, the old pension scheme will be restored in the first Cabinet meeting. In the same meeting, one lakh jobs for youths will be announced. Five lakh jobs will be given in the entire five years. 63000 posts lying vacant in government departments will be filled,” she claimed.

“The BJP government says that it cannot give pensions to employees. It cannot give pensions to soldiers. It can sell one after another to public sector companies and corporations. It can waive off the loans of Rs 10 lakh crores of big industrialists but it cannot give pension to the employees,” she said.

She added that the Congress is making promises as its governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are giving old pensions and if the Congress government is formed in Himachal, we will implement the old pension scheme here as well.

Apart from this, in view of inflation and unemployment, the Congress government will give assistance of Rs 1500 to all the women of the state, and mobile clinics will be opened in every village, and four English schools will be opened in each assembly segment.

The BJP has pushed Himachal Pradesh under heavy debt of Rs 70,000 crore and still, the people of the state are in distress, she said, adding that the Congress government will work in the interest of the people.

She urged the people of the state to vote judiciously and not to forget that the state was theirs and it is in their hands to choose a better future for themselves.