Congress Party Accuses PM Modi of Cheating and Humiliating Ex-Servicemen Over OROP Issue

Strategic Insights -

The Congress Party has come out in support of protesting former defence personnel, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not implementing the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme despite almost two years of promises. The OROP scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly three-million ex-servicemen and war widows in the country, seeking to ensure a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Congress Party has accused PM Modi of cheating and humiliating ex-servicemen over the OROP issue, despite almost two years of promises.
  • Congress leader P.C. Chacko stated that former Defence Minister A.K. Antony had completed all necessary work on the OROP issue, including budget and procedural formalities, but that the PM has failed to implement it.
  • The OROP scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly three-million ex-servicemen and war widows in the country, who are seeking a uniform pension payment.
  • Two ex-servicemen, Colonel Pushpendra Singh and Hawaldar Major Singh, have begun a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar to demand the implementation of the OROP scheme.
  • The Congress Party has pledged its support to the protesting former defence personnel and expressed its desire to support ex-servicemen.
  • The PM's delay in implementing the OROP scheme has been described as a "sad" and "humiliating" experience for ex-servicemen, who could have expected the scheme to be implemented within a month.

Statistics:

  • Almost two years have passed since the PM promised to implement the OROP scheme.
  • The OROP scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly three-million ex-servicemen and war widows in the country.
  • The Congress Party has accused the PM of cheating and humiliating ex-servicemen over the OROP issue.
  • Two ex-servicemen, Colonel Pushpendra Singh and Hawaldar Major Singh, are currently on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, demanding the implementation of the OROP scheme.

Sources:

  • "Congress accuses Modi of cheating ex-servicemen" by PTI
  • "Ex-servicemen begin indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar" by BBC News
  • "OROP: Col. Pushpendra Singh and Major Singh begin indefinite fast" by The Hindu
  • "OROP scheme: What it is, how it benefits ex-servicemen" by NDTV
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