BJP undermining soldiers’ dignity: Punjab Cong MLA

New Delhi: Punjab Congress leader and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Tuesday accused the BJP government of undermining the dignity and financial security of soldiers by denying or diluting income tax relief on disability pensions, failing to resolve anomalies under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, and persisting with the Agniveer recruitment model.

Khaira said the reported tightening of tax concessions on disability-related benefits amounted to a “callous disregard” for personnel who returned from active service with lasting injuries. Disability pension, he argued, was compensation for physical and psychological loss sustained in the line of duty and not a form of income that could be subjected to taxation. “A soldier who has sacrificed health and limb for the country deserves care and certainty, not tax notices,” he said.