The announcement of the dates of the Bihar Assembly elections seems to be the cut-off point for a resolution of the one rank, one pension (OROP) issue.
The RSS, at its three-day coordination meet with the BJP and the government on Wednesday, asked for a speedy solution and an end to the hunger strike by ex-servicemen.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who met ex-servicemen on Tuesday, had set out the time frame: before elections in Bihar were announced and the model code of conduct kicked in.
The group that met the Defence Minister, the National Ex-Servicemen Co-ordination Committee, was different from the one that is representing ex-servicemen in the talks. That group is called the United Ex-Servicemen Movement and is led by Lt. Gen. (Retd) Balbir Singh and Maj. Gen. (Retd) Satbir Singh.
The RSS had already declared its intention to take up the matter with the government at its biannual coordination meeting with the BJP, where senior Ministers were expected to give presentations about their Ministry’s work. These meetings are a stocktaking exercise on the direction of the Parivar, with inputs from various affiliates and the RSS’s own network of workers. Important feedback and course correction are discussed. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat presides over this meeting.
Senior RSS office-bearer Suresh “Bhaiyyaji” Joshi is reported to have spoken to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on expediting a solution to this issue during a break in the larger deliberations at the meeting. “The government has a declared intention to implement OROP. The protest at Jantar Mantar can be resolved through some negotiation and, therefore, it is pointless to allow it to drag,” said a senior member present at the meeting.
“There were no prescriptions or anything… just an expression of concern that nitty-gritty should not hold up matters when the government has every intention of implementing its promise,” said the source.
Senior Ministers heading economic Ministries, meanwhile, made a beeline for “Madhyanchal” in South Delhi for the three-day meet, where the agenda on Wednesday was economic issues facing the country. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh made a presentation on low farm incomes and returns on yield. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spoke of the challenges facing the economy, on why the government had allowed the Land Ordinance to lapse, the status of the Goods and Services Tax Bill and unemployment.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav briefed the gathering on the Prime Minister’s visits abroad and the takeaways.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Roads and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Tomar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar and Health Minister J.P. Nadda were present. So was BJP president Amit Shah.
“The economic scenario of Bharat and measures to improve growth and development were discussed,” said RSS prachar pramukh Manmohan Vaidya at the end of day’s sessions. “Many constructive suggestions came up.”
The meet will conclude on Friday. Thursday is being set aside for discussing social and cultural issues. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati will make a presentation along with Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also drop in for a few minutes on Thursday.