Faced with criticism on Agnipath remark, Vijayvargiya blames 'toolkit'

Faced with criticism for his remark on Centre's Agnipath recruitment scheme in armed forces, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya blamed an alleged 'toolkit' gang for distorting his statement.

Veteran saffron leader from Madhya Pradesh, Vijayavargiya alleged that an unseen toolkit gang distorted his statement and insulted the workers of the country. His statement that 'Agniveers will be given preference in the security jobs at his party office' drew flak from the opposition as well his own party MP Varun Gandhi.

During a press conference on Sunday in Indore, Vijayvargiya made the remarks while defending the Centre's Agneepath scheme on four-year contractual military recruitment that has sparked protests in many parts of the country and is being questioned by many parties.

The BJP leader said the scheme promises several benefits for those who are not retained in service after four years. Discipline and obeying orders are key in the armed forces. "Assume that one who would join as Agniveer at the age of 21, he will still be 25 by the time he leaves the force. He will have Rs 11 lakh cash in his hand. He will also be displaying the Agniveer medal on his chest," he has said.

"If I have to hire someone for the security for the BJP office here, I will give a preference to an Agniveer," he added. This statement fuelled controversy in Madhya Pradesh and the opposition -- Congress -- accused him of insulting the armed forces.

Finding himself cornered from the opposition and social media users for his remark, Vijayvargiya tried to cover up blaming an alleged toolkit gang for distorting his statement. "What I clearly meant was that, Agniveer who came out of the Agnipath Yojana will definitely be trained and committed to duty, his excellence will be utilised in whatever field he will go after completing his service in the Army," he said, adding that "the nation is well aware of the conspiracies of this toolkit gang against the national heroes."