Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not fulfilling his promises, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday demanded a definite date for implementing the long-pending One Rank One Pension for ex-servicemen as he joined their agitation in New Delhi.
Mr. Gandhi drove to Jantar Mantar where the Delhi Police tried to evict the ex-servicemen, holding the protest for two months pressing for OROP, and disapproved of the police action, saying those who had protected the country must be respected.
“The reality is that our Prime Minister makes promises very easily but he fails to fulfil them. He had promised jobs to youths but ‘Make in India’ did not succeed. He had promised to clean India. But Swatch Bharat did not yield results.
“He had promised his corporate friends that he will get them the land bill approved. But it did not happen. Similarly, he had also promised to implement OROP but it has not materialised,” Mr. Gandhi told reporters after meeting the agitating ex-servicemen.
The Congress vice-president insisted that the Prime Minister should have thought of technicalities in implementing the OROP before making the promise.
“The Prime Minister had promised that he will implement the OROP. It is a very simple matter, the Prime Minister must give a date now, if he says that on this date the work will be done, then this entire agitation will be over.
“The Prime Minister made a promise over OROP and now he just has to say one line, that I will get this work done by this date,” said Mr. Gandhi.
Earlier in the day, police tried to evict the ex-servicemen from Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital on the ground of security ahead of the Independence Day celebrations. Later, Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said they have been allowed to continue with their protest.
Mr. Gandhi said, “They have guarded the borders all their life. They are protesting here, they are not doing anything wrong. There should be no use of force on them, they should not be evicted from this spot.”
The Congress vice-president said that his party had fulfilled the promise it had made on OROP, claiming that the UPA government had already decided on it.
“As far as the technicalities go, the government should have taken those into consideration before making any promises, not after the promises have been made,” said Mr. Gandhi adding that the Congress was lending its support to the agitators and will ensure that OROP is implemented.
Centre tells Delhi Police not to evict veterans
The Centre on Friday sent out a clear message to the Delhi Police that the ex-servicemen protesting for the implementation of OROP at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi should not be evicted.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju called up Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi ordering him that these defence veterans should not be removed from the protest site.
“I have asked the Commissioner of Police not to remove the ex-servicemen from Jantar Mantar and let them continue the protest,” Mr. Rijiju said.
Agitating ex-servicemen demanding implementation of OROP were on allegedly manhandled by the police who tried to evict them on security grounds ahead of Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.
The police said they tried to evict protesters from various outfits from Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital following a request by civic agency New Delhi Municipal Council.
