Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday visited Sonipat in Haryana and handed over an ex-gratia cheque of Rs 1 crore to the family of martyred BSF jawan Narender Singh.
Pakistani troops had slit the throat of the Border Security Force (BSF) jawan after fatally shooting him along the international border (IB) near Jammu on September 18. Narender Singh’s mutilated body was found after Pakistani forces had resorted to unprovoked firing in Ramgarh sector of Jammu.
Accompanied by AAP’s Haryana unit president Naveen Jaihind, Kejriwal arrived in Sonipat on Wednesday afternoon and met the martyr's family in their native village Thana Kalan.
Earlier also, Kejriwal had visited the village on September 21.
Kejriwal, while addressing a gathering at the village, said, “We are all proud of his sacrifice. Though no amount of money can compensate the loss, but families of martyrs need to know that we stand behind them.”
He said the AAP Government in Delhi took the decision to give the ex-gratia or “Samman Rashi”, which he felt the previous governments at the Centre should have done 70 years back.
Notably, the AAP led Delhi Government had approved a proposal to amend a rule on awarding ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the kin of slain security personnel to include those who have settled in the national capital after joining service.
The Delhi CM also questioned why successive governments do not give befitting reply to Pakistan.
“For how long, brave soldiers such as Narender Singh will keep giving sacrifices and for how long will families lose their near and dear ones? When the country needs such sacrifices, definitely these will be given, but our country is not so weak that we cannot give a befitting reply to Pakistan,” the AAP supremo said.
He said, “I think all parties are one on this, then why governments are weak. Why successive Governments don't give a befitting reply to Pakistan?”
Before election, every party says they will give a befitting reply to Pakistan, but they forget all this after coming to the power, Kejriwal alleged.
He added, “People of our country and the Army can give befitting reply but there should be no politics on this issue.”