Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday sought President Droupadi Murmu’s intervention in ensuring that Agniveers killed in action receive the same benefits as regular soldiers, underscoring that the discrimination is a “grave injustice” and also a “risk to our national security”.

Back from his election tour of Punjab where he met the family of Agniveer Ajay Kumar — who had died in a landmine blast near the Line of Control in January — Rahul in his letter to the President pointed out that they had not received any of the lifetime benefits or social security that families of regular soldiers receive.

“There can be no clearer illustration of the fundamental flaw in the Agnipath scheme — the creation of a ‘lesser’ cadre of soldiers who are expected to work on similar tasks with lower pay, benefits and prospects,” Rahul wrote.

“Poor families like Ajay’s are left with little respite despite their children’s ultimate sacrifice. This anyaay — injustice — is why the Congress party and our INDIA allies have strongly opposed the Agnipath scheme, and have promised to repeal it if we form the government,” Rahul said in his letter.

Acknowledging that the President does not generally interfere in policy matters, Rahul said this situation warranted an exception. “Is this discrimination against our Agniveer martyrs not a risk to our national security? Is it not a grave injustice to our youth who bravely risk their lives to serve?”

Rahul had spoken against the Agnipath scheme throughout the election campaign and underlined that it had created two categories of soldiers in India’s armed forces.