New Delhi: Union minister V.K. Singh on Wednesday triggered a controversy when he said the “mental state” of the ex-serviceman who allegedly committed suicide over OROP needs to be probed before drawing conclusions about his extreme action.
“He has committed suicide. No one knows the reason behind it. OROP is being shown as the reason. What his mental state was we do not know. Let it be probed first. OROP should be kept above politics,” Singh told reporters.
He went on to state that the Central government had accepted the long-pending demands of the agitating veterans and there was no need to get into “what one is saying for four paisa”.
Singh’s comments drew sharp reactions from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Congress. Meanwhile, defence ministry sources said the ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, who allegedly committed suicide over OROP, was one of the recipients of benefits under the revised pension scheme. However, sources said Grewal had received a lesser amount as part of the OROP scheme under the 6th pay commission due to an error in calculation by the SBI bank branch in Bhiwani.
