OROP agitation escalates, two ex-servicemen on fast unto death

Ten ex- Army chiefs write to Prime Minister seeking quicker resolution of the matter

The agitation by retired soldiers for one rank, one pension escalated on Monday, with two of them launching an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. A relay hunger strike by the protesters has been on for 64 days, the failure of the government to respond to their demands for OROP has led ten "dismay(ed)" former service Chiefs to write an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi "strongly urge(ing) the Government to settle this issue expeditiously and in an urgent time frame".

Demanding action against the Delhi police crackdown on the agitating ex- servicemen on August 14, the former chiefs have stated in unambiguous terms that any further delay will result in "damaging the pride of veterans and lowering the morale of armed forces".

While rejecting the assurance given by PM Modi in his Independence day address, General Satbir Singh of the United Front of Ex- Servicemen speaking to Business Standard said: "The PM said virtually nothing. It was mere repetition of a 17 month old statement. We demand that the 'definition ' of OROP will not be diluted and we want the PM to explicitly put a date by which it will be implemented."

The agitators have made public their next course of action — boycotting all government functions, including the 1965 Indo-Pak war golden jubilee celebrations. A beginning of sorts was made with several boycotting the President’s At-Home celebration on Saturday. Veterans have also declared they will hoist black flags at their homes and spread out across the country to educate people about the cause.

Making it clear that there was "no scope for mediation" Singh says, they are not willing to negotiate. "There is nothing to negotiate. The only mediation that is possible is probably on deciding the mode of payment or should it be in phases or partly in the form of bonds," said Singh

The ex-servicemen make it implicitly clear that they are not interested in "politicising" the issue and are not interested in the inter- ministerial dispute between the Defence and the Finance Ministry that is holding up the decision on the OROP.

Attempts had initially been made by interlocutors between the government and the ex- servicemen but that seems to have not made much headway with the veterans making it clear that would not compromise on any of their demands.

As Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandresekhar took to Twitter saying, "mistke sme ppl in govt r mkng thinkng #OROP is abt givng 'some' money as a dole. Its not - its abt honour @PMOIndia"