New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS): The Congress on Saturday once again accused the Narendra Modi government of cheating 30 lakh former armymen by watering down the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme.
Addressing the media here, Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "Modi government's stand over OROP remains exposed today."
He said by arbitrarily weakening the OROP, the Modi government has disappointed 30 lakh ex-servicemen.
"Today again Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah made a false attempt to mislead the country. Fraudulent Modi government's conspiratorial effort to throw dust in the country's eyes will never succeed," he said.
The Congress leader said that despite announcing the OROP in 2015, the BJP government never implemented it.
He said it is a conspiracy of the BJP to dupe and deceive the members of our armed forces, which is unacceptable to the nation.
Hitting out at the government, Surjewala said that the OROP formula was accepted by the Congress government and an order in writing was issued on February 26, 2014.
"But Modi government diluted and finished this order," he said.
Attacking the government, Surjewala said that the Modi government on November 7, 2015, after assuming power in May, 2014 proceeded to dilute and deny 'OROP' to 30-40 per cent personnel by imposing a condition that any armed forces personnel who sought premature retirement on completion of 20 years of service will not get 'OROP'.
"Modi Ji knows very well that almost all troops and a large number of officers seek premature retirement on completion of 20 years of service and get full pension and they said that any personnel who opt to be discharged from Army, Navy or Air Force will not get 'OROP', if it is voluntary retirement," he said.
"Not only this, Modi government also imposed a condition of review of pension, instead of yearly after every five years that means for five years every personnel retiring in a particular year will get different pension from the personnel retiring in the next year that is second year or third or fourth or fifth, it became 'One Rank, Five Pensions'," he said.
He added that now the government seems to have gone back on that understanding also, which was never recorded in writing.
Surjewala said that the proposal of October 29, this year whereby the pension of the armed forces officers is being cut by 50 per cent and their family pension will also be cut by 50 per cent will completely finish the obligation of 'OROP'.
"If you will not get pension then how will you get OROP, because some will get half pension, some will get below that. So, how will you get OROP?" he asked.
He said that the letter dated October 29 is a ploy to abolish 'OROP' altogether.
Surjewala said that the Congress stands in solidarity with 30 lakh personnel of our armed forces and we will not permit this dilution of the rights of those who serve their motherland day in and day out.
"We demand that OROP be given in accordance with the Congress-led UPA government's order of February 26, 2014 and the BJP government's order of October 29, 2020 seeking to completely abolish 'OROP' be withdrawn forthwith," he said.