Political parties spar over OROP
6 Sept 2015 7:00 AM IST
“After a long struggle by ex-servicemen, what the Modi Government finally offered today is nothing but an eyewash. Government’s announcement on One-Rank-One-Pension today is disappointing,” Ashutosh said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh, said that until all the demands of the protesting ex-servicemen were accepted, the Aam Aadmi Party would stand by them. “Until all the demands of the protesting ex-servicemen are accepted, the Aam Aadmi Party would stand by them,” said Singh.
Singh also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for making false promises before the General Elections of 2014. “Before the elections, Modi addressed a rally in Haryana, saying he would implement the <g data-gr-id="31">long pending</g> One Rank One Pension. The Modi government is becoming a ‘Jumla’ government by the day,” Singh added.
Congress also described key components of government’s announcement of ‘One Rank One Pension’ as a “betrayal” to the cause of ex-servicemen.
Former Defence Minister AK Antony charged the government with doing politics over OROP, “substantially diluting” its provisions and “ridiculing” ex-servicemen. Attacking the government’s decision to keep out of OROP those ex-servicemen who had opted for VRS, he said it was sad because 90 per cent of service personnel retire between 35 to 40 years of age, losing lakhs of rupees. “There is no <g data-gr-id="36">comparision</g> of those in Defence forces with those in other services”, Antony told reporters. Former Union Minister Kapil Sibal said that Congress was against the provision of revision of pension every five years announced by the government. He also faulted it for not adhering to the equalisation principle. Antony took exception to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s remarks that OROP was being implemented for the first time in four decades by his government. “The Defence Minister is doing politics,” he said insisting that UPA government had announced <g data-gr-id="37">acceptance</g> of OROP last year and had even provided a token amount of Rs 500 crores and constituted an expert committee.
Replying to a question as to what was the estimate of the financial impact of the erstwhile UPA on its acceptance of the OROP demand, Antony merely said that an expert committee was constituted.
Asked whether government’s decision has opened up a Pandora’s box as OROP announcement would lead to demands from other central security forces, Sibal said that the party would react only after the Prime Minister makes his stand clear in the matter. He steered clear of a question whether Congress would participate in a rally being called by the agitating ex-servicemen in the national capital soon.
PM fulfilled OROP promise, Cong played a joke: Shah
Terming as “historic” the Centre’s decision on ‘One Rank, One Pension’, BJP on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled the commitment he made to ex-servicemen and provided them economic security while Congress had only played a “joke” on them when in power. Attacking Congress, BJP President Amit Shah said the pension of ex-servicemen was decreased by its government in the 70s and slammed the allocation of only Rs 500 crore for OROP by the previous UPA government. “In 1973 their pension was reduced from 70 per cent to 50 per cent (of salary) and the demand for OROP has been hanging fire since.... The previous Congress government in its last moments made an allocation of Rs 500 crore for it and this was a joke with servicemen,” Shah told reporters, noting that an additional expenditure of Rs 9,000-10,000 crore annually will go towards it. Recalling that it was Modi’s poll promise during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, he said the prime minister had fulfilled it now. Shah underlined that the decision would come into effect from the time Modi came to power. “Every year Rs 9,000-10,000 crore more will go to the ex-servicemen. The Modi government has given economic security to them as well the serving personnel who will retire later. BJP hails the prime minister for this,” he said.
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