All the opposition parties have been opposing the Agneepath scheme and are targeting the Modi government for this. Opposition to this plan has also started in Rajasthan where the RLP, which is part of the NDA alliance, has opened a front against the BJP. On one hand, the Congress party was gheraoing the Raj Bhavan to protest the Enforcement Directorate notices to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, Hanuman Beniwal along with a large number of RLP workers was protesting against the Agneepath scheme at Jaipur Collectorate.
Beniwal, standing with angry youth preparing to join the army and ex-servicemen demanding the withdrawal of the scheme, warned the central government that the protest is a ‘trailer’, the full picture is yet to come. During the protest against the Agneepath scheme, Beniwal said, “This is a blatant mockery of patriotism by the government of the country. Where will 75% of the recruits under Agneepath go after four years? They will be given weapons training. If they don’t get a job, they will start a gang war.”
Various delegations led by RLP activists protested in different districts of Rajasthan and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal threatened to march till Delhi. The RLP’s reaction to the ongoing protests over the Agneepath scheme has been quite different from the party’s reaction to the agitation against the three agricultural laws last year.
The RLP kept silent until a few months after the protests against agricultural laws began in August-September 2020, and Beniwal decided to part ways with the NDA in December 2020 when the movement reached a large scale. Amidst protests over the Agneepath scheme, the speed with which the RLP has come forward and is directing its workers to hold protests in different districts indicates that the three-and-a-half year old party is the third political party in Rajasthan. She wants to establish herself as a force.
The party wants to achieve a lot by supporting the youth opposing this scheme. The RLP has been describing itself as a party of “soldiers and farmers” and the party is mainly supported by Jats. With this support, Beniwal is now trying to establish himself as the most influential Jat leader in the state.