New Delhi: In a shocking turn of events that mounted further pressure on the Centre to deliver on its promises, agitating ex-servicemen demanding implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme were on Friday allegedly manhandled by Delhi police as it tried to evict them, on security grounds, from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi ahead of the Independence Day celebrations. But the government was forced to backtrack after widespread outrage.
In an obvious damage-control exercise later in the day, the government expressed regret over the Delhi police’s attempts to evict the protesting ex-servicemen from Jantar Mantar, saying it respects and honours the sacrifices of former soldiers and that special permission was given to continue their agitation.
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The damage seemed to have been done after Delhi police tried to force the veterans out from Jantar Mantar, with furious veterans telling reporters that they, along with their families, would observe a hungerstrike on Independence Day on Saturday while some veterans said they would treat it as a “black Independence Day”.
Raising political temperatures while wading into the OROP stir, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday met the veterans at Jantar Mantar after which he asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a date for implementation of the demand of the ex-servicemen, even as political pressure is growing on Prime Minister Modi to make some sort of announcement in his Independence Day address on Saturday. Indicating that some issues regarding the modalities for OROP implementation still need resolution, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said there are “technical difficulties” currently in implementing OROP but assured that the government would fulfil its promise to implement it. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government is working out the “arithmetic translation” of the OROP principle for implementation.
OROP essentially means that all ex-servicemen will get the same pension according to rank and tenure of service, irrespective of when they retired. According to some estimates, close to 22 lakh ex-servicemen and over six lakh widows of ex-servicemen would be the immediate beneficiaries.
There were some TV reports Friday evening that claimed former Army Chief Gen. Ved Malik (Retd) had tried to act as a mediator between the veterans and the government but that he had opted out later. Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also came out in support of the ex-servicemen and slammed the Delhi police.
Terming the Delhi police action as “barbaric” and “undemocratic”, the ex-servicemen, who have been on protest for nearly two months, wondered how they could be a “security threat” when they had dedicated their lives to protecting the country while in service. “This is shocking and obnoxious. Nothing can be worse. We are the protectors of India’s independence. We are requesting the police commissioner to restore our tents since we had permission. The move to remove our tents is barbaric, undemocratic and dictatorial as it comes on the eve of Independence Day,” Maj. Gen. Satbir Singh (Retd), a prominent member of the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement, told news agencies earlier on Friday. In an poignant twist, an ex-serviceman wore his medals on a shirt that he said had been torn by the police.
The Delhi police said they tried to evict protesters from various outfits from Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital following a request by the New Delhi Municipal Council.
“There was no ugly scene. But still we express regret. We have felt bad (about) whatever had happened. We stopped the police immediately when we came to know. We respect and honour their sacrifices to the nation. They served the country. That is why we have given special permission (to continue the protest),” minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju told reporters. Earlier, Mr Rijiju called up Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi and ordered that these defence veterans should not be removed from the protest site. “We are a sensitive government. We have brought the situation under control. I have asked the commissioner of police not to remove the ex-servicemen from Jantar Mantar and to let them continue the protest,” he said. Mr Rijiju said the commissioner told him it was an Independence Day drill that mandated that all places be cleared and that it was an old tradition.
Meanwhile, accusing the PM of not fulfilling his promises, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said, “The reality is that our Prime Minister makes promises very easily but he fails to fulfil them. ...he had also promised to implement OROP but it has not materialised ... It is a very simple matter, the Prime Minister must give a date now. If he says that on this date the work will be done, then this entire agitation will be over.”
According to reports, some of the ex-servicemen were uncomfortable over Mr Gandhi’s presence since the UPA government had also earlier refused to implement the OROP, relenting only when the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were approaching. Mr Gandhi told reporters, “They (veterans) have guarded the borders all their life. They are protesting here, they are not doing anything wrong ... As far as the technicalities go, the government should have taken those into consideration before making any promises, not after the promises have been made.”
Reacting to the developments, finance minister Jaitley said, “The government is completely committed to the OROP principle. It’s only the arithmetical translation of that principle because several interpretations are being given which are being worked out, and therefore, with regard to the principle being accepted and implemented, I do not think there is any issue at all.”
Defence minister Parrikar said, “We will fulfil the assurances that we have given in this regard ... When we have said this, the government has to do it within its tenure and we will do it quite early. We are bound by our assurance.”
Meanwhile, Mr Kejriwal tweeted, “Ex-servicemen being forcibly thrown out of jantar mantar? Bizarre. They protected us till yesterday. Now they are a security threat for independence day?”
