After After five days of continuous grilling by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took on the Narendra Modi Government and said he will have to withdraw the controversial military recruitment initiative just like he had to roll back the farm laws after tendering an apology. Rahul alleged that the BJP Government "which calls itself nationalist" was "weakening" the armed forces through the 'Agnipath' scheme.    

 Taking a dig at the Centre over the 'Agnipath' scheme, Rahul also said those who talked about 'one rank, one pension' were bringing in 'no rank, no pension'.

Addressing Congress parliamentarians and legislators from across the country who gathered at the party AICC headquarters to express solidarity with him after he was questioned by the ED, Rahul said his questioning was an "unimportant" matter and the most important issue in the country was of jobs.

Rahul and his sister, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were welcomed with slogans when they reached the AICC headquarters. Among those present were Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot. "MLAs and MPs have come to express their solidarity with Rahul Gandhi," Gehlot told reporters.

 "Our MPs and MLAs are raising their voice against this conspiracy. All institutions of the Government are busy in this endeavour," his colleague Jairam Ramesh added.  He said some MLAs and MPs had been stopped from coming here and the party would go ahead with the planning of its "Bharat Jodo yatra" from Kanyakumari to Kashmir starting October 2.

 "The spine of the country — MSMEs— has been broken by the Modi Government. I say to all those who train in the morning to get into the Army, Navy and Air Force that the Prime Minister has broken the spine of the country and this country will not be able to give jobs to its youth," Rahul said.

 "No matter what the Government does, it will not be able to give jobs as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed the country to two or three industrialists who cannot ensure jobs to the youth," he said. Now, they have "closed" even the last resort for the youth -- to get into the armed forces, he said.

 "Now, train in the morning, get into the forces and then go home. I guarantee that after your stint in the military, you will not get any job," Rahul Gandhi said. "The Chinese Army is sitting on our land. It has snatched away over 1,000 square kilometre of our land. This truth has been accepted by the Government," he asserted.

 He asserted that the Army should be strengthened but this Government is "weakening it". "When there is a war, results of this will be evident...They are weakening the Army, it will harm the country, and they call themselves nationalists," Rahul said, attacking the Government.  "I had said about farm laws that Modi will have to take them back and he did. Now, the Congress is saying Modi will have to withdraw Agnipath scheme and the youth are standing with us on this," he said.

He further said the youth of the country knows that real patriotism is about strengthening the armed forces and not in weakening it. Addressing party leaders and workers, he said the party will work together to get "this new betrayal of the Army and country by the Government" annulled.

Rahul also thanked party workers for their support during his questioning by the ED in the National Herald case, and said he was not alone during the questioning but all those fighting for democracy were with him.

Rahul said the officials at the ED asked him how come he did not get tired of the questioning and he cited the secondary reason that he practices Vipassana but the real reason was that all party workers and leaders were with him in spirit in that room where he was being questioned. "Officials also asked me about the secret of my patience and I said I cannot tell you that. I did not tell them but the reason for it I am telling you now is that I have been working in the Congress since 2004 and patience is there in all our leaders," he said, citing the examples of Sachin Pilot, K Siddaramaiah and Randeep Surjewala.