Rahul Gandhi on Saturday questioned Modi Government’s resolve to work for soldiers’ welfare, asking the Prime Minister to first implement the ‘one rank, one pension’ scheme in a meaningful way and redress their pay anomalies and other grievances.

The Congress vice-president wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was saddened at the decisions of the government taken in the last few weeks “which are far from reassuring the soldiers and has caused them pain instead”.

Steps should be taken to send a message to soldiers on Diwali expressing “our gratitude both in words and in deed”, Rahul said in his letter to the Prime Minister who has launched a campaign through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to soldiers guarding the nation’s frontiers to boost their morale.

The PM will celebrate this Diwali with ITBP personnel at one of the remotest border posts in Uttarakhand.

“Just days after our soldiers conducted the surgical strikes, the disability pension system was converted to a new slab system, that in many instances drastically reduces the pension received by these brave men in case of a disability,” the Congress leader said.

“OROP must be implemented in a meaningful way to satisfy ex-servicemen and the anomalies in the 7th Pay Commission must be addressed at the earliest, because soldiers should not have to struggle to claim what is surely due to them on behalf of a grateful nation,” Rahul said, claiming that some decision of the government have “adversely affect the morale of our armed forces”.