Stop lying and provide justice to soldiers: Rahul Gandhi tells PM Modi

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "lying" about implementation of the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme and alleged that the Centre was disrespecting soldiers by not fulfilling their long pending demand.

Gandhi, who met the ex-servicemen protesting at the Jantar Mantar here against the government's lackadaisical approach on the OROP scheme, said the issue at this point of time is not just about the implementation of the scheme but giving justice to the soldiers.

"The Prime Minsiter has been boasting about implementing OROP, if it is true then why are the ex-servicemen agitating at the Jantar Mantar? Why are they protesting here for the last 509 days?" asked Gandhi, adding, "But the truth is that the government has not implemented the OROP." Rahul Gandhi also pointed out that the ex-servicemen "have also been demanding for implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission and disability pension."

The Congress vice-president further said that the demand for OROP is not just about money but about the soldiers pride and justice.

"It would have been good if the government had clarified its position about paying pension then the ex-servicemen wouldn't have objected to it," he said while urging the Centre to implement the scheme with immediate effect.

Gandhi also alleged that the family members of Ram Kishen Grewal, who committed suicide over the OROP issue, were manhandled and abused by the police.

"Day before yesterday I was baffled to see the ex-serviceman's family being manhandled, they were abused and beaten up," he said.

The Congress vice-president was whisked away by the police for the third time in two days as he arrived at the Jantar Mantar last evening to lead a protest march over the suicide of an army veteran.

Gandhi was bundled into a police jeep and taken away in what the Congress called deja vu a day after he was detained twice and taken to multiple police stations as he tried to meet the family of Subedar Ram Kishen Grewal, who took poison earlier on Tuesday over insufficient pension.