OROP: AAP MLA urges President to intervene on behalf of ex- servicemen

NEW DELHI: AAP MLA Col (retd) Devinder Sehrawat, who skipped the President's at-home reception on Independence Day over the 'One Rank, One Pension' (OROP) demand, has written to Pranab Mukherjee seeking his intervention on behalf of the protesting ex-servicemen.

"I have to inform you with a heavy heart that the ex- servicemen are languishing on the road, undergoing shabby and disgraceful treatment at the hands of police and municipal authorities, as they protest for their rightful demand of OROP.

"Pardon my audacity, but they do expect your intervention in the matter," Sehrawat said in his letter yesterday to the President -- who is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

The AAP legislator from Bijwasan constituency, Sehrawat also said he will "actively" participate in a dharna called by ex-servicemen over the OROP demand as no firm time-frame has been declared for its implementation.

Ex-servicemen are holding a protest at Jantar Mantar and in other parts of the country for two months demanding early implementation of OROP.
Meanwhile, in Chandigarh, AAP's Punjab unit today strongly condemned the Narendra Modi government over what it charged was its ill-treatment of ex-servicemen in the OROP matter.

The party, which has four MPs in Punjab, further criticised the prime minister for not announcing the implementation of OROP in his Independence Day speech yesterday.

Col (retd) CM Lakhanpal, in-charge of AAP's Ludhiana unit, said, "It is the greatest irony of this nation that the saviours of the borders were thrashed and dragged at Jantar Mantar (in Delhi) because they were perceived to be a threat to Independence Day Celebrations."

He was referring to the alleged ill-treatment of ex- soldiers at Jantar Mantar during their protest.

He said that denial of the 30-year-old OROP demand has had a demoralising effect on the serving defence personnel.

"This is another glaring U-turn by Modi from his poll promise of implementing OROP, which he made to gather the votes of all families of serving or retired army men," he charged.