Rahul Gandhi on Friday argued that the people were rejecting the government’s policies because Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn’t understand what was required to be done and listened to only his friends.

Rahul tweeted: “Agnipath — rejected by youth. Farm laws — rejected by farmers. Note-bandi — rejected by economists. GST — rejected by businessmen. The Prime Minister doesn’t understand what the citizens of the country want because he cannot listen to the voice of anybody except his friends.”

Though the former Congress president, unperturbed by the exceptionally protracted grilling by the Enforcement Directorate that will continue on Monday, did not specify who Modi’s friends are, it is not a secret for many. Rahul has referred to “crony capitalists” on countless occasions, insisting that Modi only

works for a few industrialist friends.

It is indisputable that demonetisation was reviled by economists and politicians the world over and it indeed played havoc with the Indian economy, inflicting unforgettable miseries upon the masses.

While the GST, too, gave enormous pain to the small and medium entrepreneurs initially, the farm laws triggered an unprecedented unrest among farmers and agricultural workers. The farmers’ movement that ended with Modi withdrawing the controversial laws, will be remembered as one the greatest examples of people’s resistance in world history.

Now the Agnipath scheme, a new recruitment model for the armed forces, has set the country on fire. This cannot be an exemplary track record of governance and the main Opposition leader has offered a unique reason for the disasters — Modi’s inability to understand the ground reality because of his obsession with the interests of crony capitalists.

This is a serious indictment but the Prime Minister has managed uninterrupted electoral successes over the last eight years despite additional crises like a mismanaged pandemic and alarming economic slide. No Opposition leader comes near him in terms of popularity. Youths, seething with rage over the Agnipath scheme, are supposed to be his greatest supporters despite the job crisis being the gravest in many decades.

The Congress is trying to align with the youth sentiment by focusing on the unemployment problem, and the severity of violent reactions in so many states — from Bihar to Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir to Telangana — has exposed the depth of the crisis.

Among all the Opposition parties, the Congress has taken the most strident stand on the Agnipath scheme. While it wanted the scheme to be put in abeyance on Thursday, it demanded immediate scrapping of the flawed policy on Friday.

Priyanka Gandhi tweeted: “The BJP Government had to change the rule within 24 hours. This is obvious the scheme was thrust upon the youth in haste. Modi ji, withdraw the scheme right now. Start regular recruitments in the Army and declare the results of exams for the Air Force.”

Congress spokesperson Deepender Hooda later said at a news conference: “This scheme should be scrapped right away. Let the Prime Minister call a special session of Parliament, or an all-party meeting, to discuss the unemployment issue. The Standing Committee on Defence can hold wider consultation process on recruitment in armed forces. But this scheme, with a four-year tenure, is harmful for both the army and the youth. Difficult to assess what prompted Modi to introduce such a scheme.”

Hooda said: “We extend full support to the demands of the youth. But we appeal to them to avoid violence and protest peacefully. We will fight your battle together. We want to know why did the government change the recruitment system? The Indian Army is respected all over the world, what was the need to disturb the tried and tested formula? In four years, the youth will be busy in training and suddenly worries about retirement and a feeling of insecurity will grip him.”

He added: “Various kinds of training — armoured core, inventory, artillery, para-trooper force, combat force — the soldier requires three to five years to gain expertise. We have hostile China and Pakistan in the neighbourhood. Why is the government trying to weaken the army? The regiment system in the army will also get disturbed. The government is saying Agniveers will get preference in other jobs, including police and paramilitary. Will the army be used as training centre for other jobs?”