Punjab Congress, led by its president Capt Amarinder Singh, on Friday submitted memorandum to Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore seeking the Centre’s intervention for providing justice to the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishen Grewal whose suicide, allegedly over one rank one pension (OROP), has sparked a political row.
The party also demanded the sacking of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for “misleading the nation on the OROP issue and pushing Ram Kishen to commit suicide with his irresponsible attitude”.
Amid statewide protests by Congress workers, Capt Amarinder led a 20-member delegation of party leaders and ex-servicemen to urge the Governor to convey to the Central Government his party’s concern over the brutal handling of the situation in the wake of Grewal’s suicide.
The 70-year-old ex-serviceman from Haryana’s Bhiwani consumed poison in the lawns behind Jawahar Bhavan, which houses some offices of the Ministry of External Affairs, on November 1. He was rushed to RMl Hospital where he died later.
Governor Badnore assured Capt Amarinder that the memorandum would be forwarded to the Centre at the earliest and the government’s response would also be promptly conveyed to him.
Alleging “total breakdown of democratic systems” in the country, Capt Amarinder expressed “shock and anguish” at the events following the suicide and demanded exemplary action against those guilty of harassing, detaining and beating up Grewal’s family members. The former chief minister told the Governor that the situation triggered by the “dictatorial behavior” of Delhi Police warranted immediate action against the guilty.
“As ex-servicemen, we can feel the pain of the men sitting at the borders,” he said with lt General (retd) TS Shergill by his side.
Shergill said that the issue at heart was not whether he was a martyr or not, but the reasons that led him to take the extreme step.
Senior Congress leader and MP Ambika Soni, who was also a part of the delegation, regretted the absence of any representative of the defence services in the seventh Pay Commission and said that this showed total lack of concern for the armed forces by the present government at the Centre.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Asha Kumari, former Union Minister Santosh Choudhary, PPCC senior vice-president and MlA laal Singh, leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Charanjeet Singh Channi, MlA Tripat Rajendra Singh Bajwa were also part of the delegation.
In an annexure to the memorandum, the ex-servicemen expressed their solidarity with the national and state leadership of the Congress “in their campaign against the unjustified, unwarranted and inhumane behavior of the Delhi Police, acting at the behest of the Central Government”.
Meanwhile, the Congress party workers also held protests in all districts of the state against the inordinate delay in OROP implementation.