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At Jantar Mantar, former soldiers might wear haggard looks, but their resolve remains firm in their fight for the implementation of the One Rank, One Pension scheme. Sudhir Bisht reports
Lt Colonel Inderjit Singh (retired) stands tall addressing ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar, who have been holding a relay hunger strike since Monday, protesting against the delay in the much-awaited One Rank One Pension scheme.
Singh, a veteran, was the first ex-serviceman to have gone on a hunger strike back in 1984 to demand the OROP, when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister.
He says, “My hunger strike during the Rajiv Gandhi regime lasted 16 days. I was assured then by the government that OROP would be implemented. However, till date, nothing has happened. I am willing to go on an indefinite hunger strike again, but I doubt that will last for even 16 days, as I am old and frail. My body might give out within the first few days of my hunger strike. But, I am willing to give my life for this cause.”
At the rally, which has been on since Monday, with ex-servicemen from all across the country coming under the banner of United Front for Ex-servicemen, sits Lt General Raj Kadyan (retired). The lines of worry on his forehead are visible to all. But, the determined veteran says, “If the government doesn’t listen to the voices of the army personnel, do you think they will send their children to the army? This is the reason why OROP must be implemented.”
Protesting voices can be heard from the rally. While some chant slogans against the government, there are others who say, “The Indian Army hasn’t lost any battle till now. And we know how to win this battle, our own battle.”
Another veteran at the rally announces that they will take this protest to Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. “Next month, our friends will launch a massive agitation in Bihar. The fight will not end with this protest.”
Daughter of a former general, Sujata Sangwan, who has come from the United States to join the agitation, said the soldiers who risk their lives for the cause of the nation are left to fend for themselves at a meager pension.
-- Sudhir Bisht is a published author and columnist. Feedback is welcomed at sudhir_bisht@rediffmail.com