Till last year, OROP had remained hostile towards the Congress.
In a major turnaround, OROP leaders have decided to support and canvass for the Congress in Punjab and Uttarakhand. Both the states send substantial numbers to Indian armed forces.
The decision has come in the wake of unhappiness expressed by the OROP leaders on the package given out by the Centre last year. Since then OROP leaders have been sitting on a relay hunger strike, pressing the Centre to change the OROP package. The open support is not without significance. OROP — One Rank One Pension — was an issue during the last Lok Sabha elections and Narendra Modi’s rally in Rewari in 2014 was organised by the ex-servicemen. So the open support and participation of the ex-servicemen will have a direct impact on the assembly election in both states, which are going to the polls on February 4.
The OROP leaders openly shared the dais with former chief minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Veer Bhadra Singh. Amarinder Singh said that they supported the demand of OROP and would like the Centre to restore parity of the ranking of the armed forces members with their civilian counterparts. The resolution of the ex-servicemen was also accepted by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee with the guarantee that all 21 recommendations will be accepted once Congress came to power in the state.
The Congress also committed itself to ensuring pay parity between defence forces and class A civil servants. Congress said that they would implement the Koshiari Committee report of 2013 in the light of suggestions made by the OROP members. The party also said that they would be nominating more ex-servicemen to Rajya Sabha and ex-soldiers would be brought under the provision of NRI property act.
Randeep Surjewalan, chairman of the Congress Media Cell, told WION-DNA that the party stands committed to the demand of OROP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should deliver what the soldiers want.
Till last year, despite its fight with the Centre, OROP had remained hostile towards the Congress. Even Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s sojourn to Jantar Mantar to meet the ex-servicemen wasn’t a smooth experience with many shouting slogans against him.
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