Congress deputy leader in the lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday accused the BJP-led NDA Government of not granting long pending demand of ‘one rank one pension’ for ex-servicemen even in its second Budget. He regretted that the Finance Minister had skipped the matter in his last Budget thus shattering the hopes of about 30 lakh ex-servicemen across the country. In a statement issued here, Capt Amarinder said, much against the expectations and the commitment made by Defence Minister Manohar Parikar to him that the OROP will be settled as the modalities were being worked out, surprisingly there was no mention of it in the Budget.
The Congress leader said he had written to the Defence Minister before the Budget seeking that the OROP should be announced without any delay. He said, the Defence Minister had in his reply assured that the modalities were being worked out and the issue shall be settled soon. “I was shocked when the matter was skipped by the Finance Minister in his budget speech”, he said. “I am surprised that despite having assured during the campaign and subsequently after forming the Government the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister have let down 30 lakh ex-servicemen who have given their entire life to the country,” he said.
The former Chief Minister demanded that the Union Government must make a time bound commitment on the matter. “Otherwise their intentions of not granting the OROP to the ex-servicemen would be exposed,” he remarked, while asserting, just because the ex-servicemen are too disciplined to stage protests and hold the nation to ransom, should not mean that they can be taken for granted.