MP Congress demands regular service for all Agniveers, slams two-year extension plan
Synopsis
The Madhya Pradesh Congress, led by a retired Major General, has demanded the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme and permanent military absorption for all Agniveers — arguing that extending service from four to six years for 75 per cent of recruits deepens inequality, harms morale, and leaves thousands facing unemployment after crossing exam age limits.
Key Takeaways
Madhya Pradesh Congress on 12 November 2026 demanded permanent absorption of all Agniveers into the regular armed forces.
Retired Major General Shyam Shrivastava called for scrapping the Agnipath scheme entirely.
He argued a proposed extension from four to six years for 75 per cent of Agniveers would create salary and status disparities within military units.
Shrivastava warned those not selected for permanent service could exceed age limits for competitive exams, limiting future employment options.
He claimed ex-servicemen reservation benefits in Madhya Pradesh had declined from a nominal 10–20 per cent to an effective 0.2–0.5 per cent after 2019 policy changes.
Ex-servicemen warned of protests and legal action if Chief Minister Mohan Yadav does not review the recruitment policy.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Thursday, 12 November 2026, demanded that all Agniveers be permanently absorbed into the regular armed forces, arguing that the reported plan to extend service for 75 per cent of recruits by two years would deepen uncertainty and create damaging disparities within military units. The demand was made at a press conference at the state Congress headquarters in Bhopal.
Key Demands Raised
Retired Major General Shyam Shrivastava, former chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee's Ex-Servicemen Department, led the charge, calling on the Centre to scrap the Agnipath scheme entirely and offer permanent service to everyone recruited under it. He argued that the proposed extension from four to six years would only prolong — not resolve — the fundamental inequity between the 25 per cent retained on regular terms and the 75 per cent kept on temporary contracts.
'This scheme will not only weaken the armed forces but also make it difficult for young officers to command their units effectively,' Shrivastava said.
Why Disparities Undermine Operational Efficiency
Shrivastava argued that having personnel with different salaries, facilities, and service statuses working side by side in the same units could hurt morale, discipline, and operational efficiency. He noted that all Agniveers had cleared rigorous written, physical, and medical examinations and completed full military training, including combat skills and weapons handling, and had accumulated meaningful field experience after four years of service. Absorbing them into the regular forces without an additional two-year wait, he contended, is both practical and fair.
He also warned that those not selected for permanent service after the extended six-year term could face serious difficulties finding alternative employment, as many would have crossed the upper age limits for competitive examinations by that point — a concern critics of the Agnipath scheme have raised since its launch.
Ex-Servicemen Reservation Concerns in Madhya Pradesh
Separately, Shrivastava raised a pointed concern about the erosion of reservation benefits for ex-servicemen in Madhya Pradesh. He claimed that policy changes introduced after 2019 had sharply reduced the effective benefit of a quota that was originally set at 10 per cent in Group C posts and 20 per cent in Group D posts. According to his claims, the effective benefit has declined to just 0.2–0.5 per cent.
Citing police recruitment as an example, he said that 400–600 ex-servicemen were previously selected from batches of around 6,000 posts, but that figure had fallen to just four or five after 2019. Madhya Pradesh is home to around 85,000 ex-servicemen, with nearly 40,000 in the 35–50 age group, according to Shrivastava.
Warning to the State Government
Shrivastava urged Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to review the state's recruitment policy on ex-servicemen's reservations. He warned that if the demands were not addressed, ex-servicemen would launch protests and approach courts. This comes amid broader national debate over the Agnipath scheme's long-term implications for military readiness and veteran welfare — a conversation that has not settled since the scheme's inception.
Point of View
And the party is clearly signalling its alignment with ex-servicemen ahead of any state-level recruitment cycle. But the substantive concern about dual-tier personnel serving in the same unit is not easily dismissed; command cohesion and morale are legitimate operational considerations that the Centre has yet to address with data. The claim that effective ex-servicemen reservation in Madhya Pradesh has collapsed from 10–20 per cent to under one per cent is a serious allegation that deserves independent verification — not a press conference rebuttal. If the numbers hold, it points to a quiet administrative erosion of a commitment that successive governments have made to those who served.
NationPress
12 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has the Madhya Pradesh Congress demanded on the Agnipath scheme?
The Madhya Pradesh Congress has demanded that all Agniveers be permanently absorbed into the regular armed forces and that the Agnipath scheme be scrapped. It opposes a reported plan to extend the service tenure of 75 per cent of Agniveers from four to six years, calling it discriminatory.
Why does MP Congress oppose the two-year extension for Agniveers?
The party argues that extending service from four to six years for 75 per cent of Agniveers — while only 25 per cent are selected for regular service — entrenches disparities in salary, facilities, and status within the same military units. Critics contend this harms morale, discipline, and operational efficiency.
What happens to Agniveers not selected for permanent service?
According to retired Major General Shyam Shrivastava, Agniveers who complete the extended six-year term without being selected for regular service may find it difficult to secure civilian employment, as many would have crossed the upper age limits for competitive examinations by then.
What are the concerns about ex-servicemen reservation in Madhya Pradesh?
Shrivastava claimed that policy changes after 2019 reduced the effective benefit of ex-servicemen's reservation in Madhya Pradesh from a nominal 10–20 per cent to just 0.2–0.5 per cent. He cited police recruitment, where ex-servicemen selections reportedly fell from 400–600 to just four or five per batch.
Who is Shyam Shrivastava and what has he threatened?
Shyam Shrivastava is a retired Major General and former chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee's Ex-Servicemen Department. He has warned that Madhya Pradesh's approximately 85,000 ex-servicemen will launch protests and approach courts if Chief Minister Mohan Yadav does not review the state's recruitment policy.
