The Agnipath scheme sparked protests across the country.
Three opposition members today walked out of a meeting of a panel of MPs on defence complaining that they were not allowed to discuss the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, which has sparked protests across the country.
Congress MPs KC Venugopal and Uttam Kumar Reddy and BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali walked out of the meeting of the Standing Committee on Defence this afternoon. They had called for a discussion on the Agnipath scheme, arguing it has huge implications and requires parliamentary scrutiny.
The chairman Jual Oram reportedly said anything outside the agenda of the meeting would not be discussed. According to news agency PTI, Mr Oram said issues to be taken up at parliamentary Standing Committee meetings were decided in advance at the beginning of the year.
The members reportedly told the chairman that not allowing a discussion on Agnipath amounted to insulting parliament and that not informing the MPs' committee about the scheme was breach of privilege.
They urged him to list the issue for discussion in the next meeting, but the chairman reportedly denied permission.
Mr Oram reportedly told the opposition members that they could raise the subject in parliament and discuss it there.
Mr Venugopal later put out a series of tweets. "No discussion in Parliament, no deliberations in the Parliament Standing Committees, thus goes the way of bulldozing legislations in the Modi era," he wrote.
The Agnipath military recruitment scheme launched in June sparked protests across the country. The scheme allows a four-year tour of duty, after which 25 per cent personnel would be absorbed into the force based on their performance.
Under the scheme, people between 17 and 21 years will be recruited in the armed forces for a four-year period, followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.
Thousands of Agnipath applicants launched protests, raising concerns about their prospects after their four-year service ends. In response, the government made a range of announcements about what they could do once their tour of duty is over.