'He lied before Lord Shiva's photo': Rahul Gandhi attacks Rajnath Singh over compensation for Agniveers; Army hits back

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday accused defence minister Rajnath Singh of lying in Parliament regarding the compensation to families of deceased Agniveers and demanded an apology.
Gandhi shared a video on X, featuring the father of a deceased Agniveer, who claimed that Singh's statement about Rs 1 crore compensation to the next of kin of martyred Agniveers was false, as his family had received no such assistance.
In his video message, Gandhi emphasized the importance of truth in every religion and accused Singh of lying "before Lord Shiva's photo" about the compensation to the country, its armed forces, and Agniveers. He cited the statement by the father of Agniveer martyr Ajay Singh, who said that despite Singh's claims, his family had not received the promised compensation.
"Rahul Gandhi is raising our voice in Parliament that families of martyrs must get all necessary help. Agniveer recruitment must stop and regular recruitment should be reinstated," said Ajay Singh's father in the video.

Gandhi demanded that the defence minister apologize to the family of martyr Ajay Singh, the armed forces, and the youth of the country for allegedly misleading them.
Meanwhile, hours after Congress leader's attack on the defence minister, the Indian Army issued a clarification on emoluments to Agniveer Ajay Kumar.
The Army, in a post on X, said, "... Of the total amount due, the family of Agniveer Ajay has already been paid Rs 98.39 lakhs. Ex-Gratia and other benefits amounting to approximately 67 lakhs, as applicable according to the provisions of the Agniveer Scheme, will be paid on Final Account Settlement shortly post due Police verification. The total amount will be Rs 1.65 Cr approximately..."

This accusation came after Rajnath Singh refuted Gandhi's claims in the Lok Sabha regarding the Agnipath military recruitment scheme. Singh stated that the scheme was introduced after consultations with 158 organizations and emphasized that an Agniveer who dies in the line of duty is entitled to a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
Singh requested Gandhi not to mislead Parliament and urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to expunge Gandhi's remarks on the Agnipath scheme. Singh reiterated that similar schemes are operational in countries like the US and the UK without objections.
In response to Singh's rebuttal, Gandhi maintained, "Rajnath Singh has an opinion and I have an opinion, but Agniveers know the truth. Agniveers know what they have to face."