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| OROP, AIIMS: 'BJP cheated Army like it cheated Jammu' | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 6: BJP leader and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday announced with much fanfare the so-called One Rank One Pension (OROP) for our soldiers, both serving and ex-army men in the BJP-led NDA Government's desperate attempt to scuttle the 42-year-long struggle and 82-day-old dharna-cum-fast-unto-death struggle. Parrikar gave the nation to understand that the Modi Government fulfilled the promise and that it was time for the agitating veterans to end their agitation, vacate the Jantar Mantar and contribute to the process of nation-building. A handful of ex-army men, who, it appears, were the BJP supporters, celebrated the announcement by hugging each other, congratulating each other, distributing ladoos and raising pro-Modi slogans, saying the BJP had conceded the age-old demand and urging those organizing dharna-cum-fast-unto-death movement to end the agitation.
As expected, the agitating ex-soldiers rejected the announcement, saying the Modi Government has disappointed the serving and ex-soldiers that they could not accept the government proposal. "We want OROP and not one Rank Five Pensions," the visible Major General (Retd) Satvir Singh announced at Jantar Mantar, adding that they would not call off their agitation. Others described the official announcement as a cruel joke. Some of them accused the BJP of "cheating" the soldiers and warned the Modi Government that its decision had the potential of demoralizing the Army. "It is not in the national interest," some angry soldiers said. In fact, all, barring one or two, former army commanders and veterans tore into the Modi Government and leveled serious charges against it and the BJP leadership, which, like the local BJP leadership in Jammu, congratulated the Modi Government and the nation, saying "today was a great day in the history of India". The Local BJP leadership in Jammu had also done the same after August 3 and even organized what it called Dhanyawad Rally, which was a flop show as the people refused to participate in it. It is important to note that all the BJP spokesperson on Saturday cut a sorry figure as they were clueless before the well-equipped veterans who participated in the TV debates on the issue.
Earlier, on July 3o, Union Health Minister JP Nadda had also taken recourse to similar tactics to scuttle the months-old movement in Jammu region for the establishment of AIIMS. He had made a vague statement on the issue, but the people of the region and the now-defunct AIIMS Coordination Committee refused to walk into his trap and decided to intensify movement. That day, the "ungrateful" local BJP leadership had also celebrated the announcement, saying Jammu got a full-fledged AIIMS. They had distributed Ladoos and used the social media to mislead the people of Jammu region like what the BJP Government and the BJP itself did yesterday to mislead the agitating soldiers.
The Union Health Ministry again cheated the people of Jammu region on August 3 by writing a vague letter to the State Government asking it to identify land in Jammu for the establishment of the AIIMS. Many in the AIIMS CC rejected the letter as an attempt of the BJP to divert the people's attention from the real issue, while some appreciated the letter and decided to end agitation. The AIIMS CC called off bandh on August 5 and suspended the agitation much against the wishes of majority of members of the AIIMS CC. Those who wanted the AIIMS CC to continue bandh for another two to three days so that the BJP was forced to issue a notification as required by law stood fully vindicated on Saturday when Panthers leader Harsh Dev Singh called the BJP bluff by making public the reply he got from the Health Ministry using his Right To Information, which said the Government of India had sanctioned only one AIIMS that would be established in Jammu & Kashmir. The revelation made by Harsh Dev Singh must have put on the mat and exposed those who walked into the BJP trap and ended the movement midway.
The fact of the matter is that the BJP cheated the Army like it cheated Jammu. That's the reason the Panthers Party on Saturday accused the BJP of "cheating" the people of Jammu region like the veterans charged the BJP with "cheating" them and the serving soldiers. Indeed, the BJP has fallen from grace. |
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