One Who Wants To Serve Country Will Never Become Agniveer: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday criticised the Agnipath military recruitment scheme and claimed that someone who wants to serve the country will "never want to become Agniveer". He claimed no one got a job after the recruitment rally in Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad.

Mr Yadav was addressing the Ex-Servicemen Conference in Mainpuri, where his wife Dimple Yadav is a candidate for the December 5 by-election.

"One who wants to serve the country will never want to become Agniveer. Recruitments were done in Farrukhabad, but no one got a job. The government is saying that it is saving the budget through these schemes, but when the country itself will not survive, how can the budget survive," he said.

Seeking the support of the ex-servicemen, the Samajwadi Party chief said, "Our party workers are working, our leaders are working hard. If you support us, there will be no worries for us.

By-election to the Mainpuri seat, considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, was mandated due to the death of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 10.

The party has released a list of star campaigners for the bypoll, which includes Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav, who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya). Other prominent names in the list are Akhilesh Yadav, Jaya Bachchan, and Azam Khan.

It was speculated that Shivpal Yadav may contest from Mainpuri, but family sources suggest he supports the candidature of Dimple Yadav.

The votes for the by-election will be counted on December 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)