OROP row: Ex-servicemen will be satisfied after reading 'fine prints', says BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Siddharth Nath Singh on Sunday said that the ex-servicemen who are upset with the government's decision on One Rank, One Pension (OROP) will be satisfied after reading the fine prints.

"The government has committed for rolling out 8000-9000 crore, a yearly expenditure so the benefit is going to be large. If there are certain sections of the ex-servicemen, who have not read the fine prints, I am sure after reading the fine prints, they all will be quite happy and they will be welcoming like others mostly who are doing the government's step of OROP," Singh told ANI.

"The key issue is the ex-servicemen, who were denied in 1973 by Indira Gandhi, the OROP and brought in with the pay commission, were deprived 42 years that has been implemented by Modi government yesterday. There are issues which can be resolved and the government is addressing them, he added.

Singh further said, "The key issue is there are lakhs and lakhs of pensioners in the form of those who are disabled, widowers and many who have retired in different positions, are going to benefit from 25 percent to 50 percent, which is in different categories."

On Saturday afternoon, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced that the government has decided to implement the much awaited OROP scheme, stating that there would be a revision of pension every five years as against the two years demanded by the ex-servicemen.

However, the ex-servicemen said that they are upset with the one launched by the government and added that they will intensify their agitation.