Modi Govt. humiliating ex-servicemen: Congress

The Congress Party on Friday accused the BJP- led NDA Government of humiliating and bullying the ex-servicemen raising their voice for Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme at the Jantar Mantar here.

"What is most unfortunate is that on the eve of Independence Day, former servicemen and army-men, 40 lakhs of them, whose representatives are sitting in a peaceful 'dharna' demanding One Rank, One Pension (OROP), are being bullied, are being pushed by Modi's government police and are humiliated," Congress spokesperson Randeep Sujrewala told ANI.

"Modi ji started his election campaign from Riwari, Haryana, with promise of One Rank, One Pension. What happened to that promise? It is the first time in the history of India that any government would have humiliated our ex-army men in this fashion," he added.

The ex-servicemen were today asked to vacate the Jantar Mantar by the NDMC, which said that it was an exercise aimed at ensuring security ahead of the Independence Day.

The ex-servicemen, who have been protesting against the delay in the implementation of the scheme, said they will wait till August 15 for the announcement and added that they would step up their protests if the government does not pay heed to their demands.

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One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly three-million ex-servicemen and war widows in the country. It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel, who retire at the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement.