Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has launched scathing attack on the central government for attempting to crush movements using force.
Commenting on the forceful eviction of India’s ex-servicemen from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Friday, Kejriwal said, ” Ex-servicemen being forcibly thrown out of Jantar Mantar? Bizarre.They protected us till yesterday. Now they are security threat for independence day?”
Ex-servicemen being forcibly thrown out of jantar mantar? Bizarre.They protected us till yest. Now they r security threat for indep day?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 14, 2015
Kejriwal expressed his dismay on how ‘within a year NDA had started behaving just like the UPA-II’ in crushing movements.
He tweeted, ”
Within a year, NDA has started behaving the way UPA behaved in its second term. This is how UPA-II wud crush movements.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 14, 2015
He also urged the PM to announce from the Red Fort tomorrow that he was accepting the veterans’ demand on OROP.
hE SAID, “I wOuLd urge Hon’ble PM to announce acceptance of the demand of OROP of our ex servicemen from Red Fort tomorrow`”
Delhi police on Friday forcibly evicted the ex-servicemen from protesting against the delay in implementing One Rank One Pension at Jantar Mantar.
Police said that the army veterans were being removed “as part of normal security drive on 14 and 15 August every year” adding that 25 ex-servicemen were being allowed to stay.
Delhi Police’s DCP Vijay Singh said, “The drive is conducted by New Delhi Municipal Corporation. All temporary structures will be removed ahead of Independence Day.”
This forced eviction of India’s ex-servicemen comes a day after India’s four ex-service chiefs wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee asking him to intervene warning that the delay in rolling out of ‘one rank one pension scheme’ would be a danger to political military ethos of the country.
The letter written by General SF Rodrigues (Retd), Admiral L Ramdas (Retd), Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd) and Admiral Sureesh Mehta (Retd) said, “It is with a sense of deep anguish that we are writing to draw the attention of the Supreme Commander to the dismal spectacle of our veteran soldiers, driven to undertake public protests and demonstrations to press their demand for the – long overdue grant of OROP.”
These former chiefs warned that delay was bound to adversely impact the morale of serving officers.
Major Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, had told Jantakareporter.com that the ex-servicemen blamed Prime Minister Modi for betraying the trust of Indian soldiers.
Implementing OROP was BJP’s important election promise during the Lok Sabha elections and the soldiers are angry with ‘PM Modi’s U-turn’ on his ‘yet another poll promise.’