Suggested reviewing the ‘Agneepath’ policy of recruitment in defence forces, Punjab’s former Chief Minister and a veteran of Sino-Indian and Indo-Pak Wars Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday asserted that the new policy “will dilute the long existing distinct ethos of regiments”, while adding that the “four-year service is too short for a soldier”.

Capt Amarinder wondered why the Government of India needed to make such radical changes in the recruitment policy, which has been working so well for the country for so many years. “Hiring soldiers for four years, with effective service of three years, is not at all militarily a good idea,” he remarked. Strongly opposing the ‘All India All Class’ recruitment policy, he said that it will dilute the ethos of the regiments. He pointed out that different regiments like the Sikh Regiment, the Dogra Regiment, the Madras Regiment, and so on have their own distinct ethos which is very important from the military point of view and which seems to have been overlooked.

The former Chief Minister, who is also a reputed military historian, pointed out that the system has worked so well all these years. “Besides, it will be very difficult for recruits from different cultural backgrounds to adjust in a culturally different environment that is exclusive to a particular regiment and that too within such a short span of time, which effectively comes to less than three years,” he added.

Capt Amarinder said: “The already existing short duration tenure system of seven and five years is fine, but four years, which once training and leave period are excluded, effectively comes to less than three years, will not be workable.