New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday sharply criticised the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, arguing that it perpetuates a system in which top leadership positions in India’s paramilitary forces are imposed from outside rather than earned from within the ranks.
Speaking in the House, Gandhi pointed out that no paramilitary force in the country has ever been led by an officer who rose through its own lower ranks. “You will be surprised to know that in India, no paramilitary force has been headed by an officer who has come up from the lower ranks of that very force,” he said. “There is not a single paramilitary force whose leadership has emerged from within it. Top leadership is thrust upon these forces. This is completely wrong.”
He added that the Congress has opposed the measure, and the Supreme Court has also raised concerns, yet the government is once again disregarding the court’s position. “This is the biggest issue for the CAPF. I fail to understand how you can protect the morale of an organisation that cannot place one of its own people in a leadership position,” Gandhi said. “What the government has done is unjust. I don’t understand why the government is doing this.”
Gandhi suggested the timing of the bill’s introduction might not be coincidental. He noted that it was brought forward while he was on a visit to Assam. “I had messaged the government asking them to delay the introduction of the bill by a day or two, but they refused,” he said. “They do not want me to speak on this bill in Parliament.”
The Congress leader declared that his party stands firmly with all paramilitary forces. “When we come to power, we will ensure justice for them,” he said.
The remarks came as the government moved the bill in the Lok Sabha, days after it was passed in the Rajya Sabha amid opposition protests. Critics, including the Congress, have long argued that the legislation undermines opportunities for officers serving in the forces to reach the highest echelons, affecting morale and internal growth.
Gandhi’s intervention highlighted the ongoing debate over recruitment, deputation practices, and leadership structures in the Central Armed Police Forces, which include the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB.
