PM Modi is lying, bullying: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who spent several hours on Wednesday first confined at Lady Hardinge Hospital and then in police detention, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having lied to the country about the implementation of `One Rank One Pension'.

In a video message, reiterated through tweets, the CM said that had the Centre implemented OROP, as claimed by the PM, then Ram Kishan Grewal would not have needed to commit suicide. “Modiji should apologise to the nation for this lie. In the past year or so, several army personnel have sat on dharna for implementation of OROP but the Centre has done nothing.That means that the PM has been lying all along. While it (Centre) did not implement OROP, it has been milking the surgical strikes for political gains. A day after the strikes, however, the government passed an order to reduce the disability pension of the armed forces and later also reduced the rank of soldiers,“ he said.

The CM also tweeted through the day , first over the detention of deputy CM Manish Sisodia and later at his own. Kejriwal made it a point to say that a crucial cabinet meeting, reportedly to discuss the city's worsening pol lution problem, had to be cancelled since Sisodia was in detention and would not have been able to attend. “Manish Sisodia detained? He had gone to meet family of deceased Ram Kishan ji. He is elected deputy CM. What's wrong with you Modiji? So insecure? If the deputy CM of a state wants to pay condolence to somebody's family , will he be arrested? This is the limit of bullying Modiji," he said.


He also slammed minister of state VK Singh for having questioned Grewal's “mental state“, saying that Grewal had “twice got medals from President and once from COAS. He was a decorated soldier."

Sisodia also spoke out against his detention. “What is the problem if Grewal's children talk to someone from a political party? This is a strange kind of democracy .A former soldier commits suicide, you arrest his son and detain people from political parties,“ he said.

AAP, several of whose members were also detained by the police for protesting against the suicide, has threatened to launch a countrywide agitation to press for OROP. Party spokesperson Raghav Chadha said: “In 2013, the PM made a promise in Rewari that he will implement OROP. He has since claimed, as recently as on Diwali last Sunday , that it has been done. Soldiers do not want selfies with you but are asking for their dues. BJP's slogan is `mar jawan, mar kisan' as both farmers and soldiers are facing the worst time under its dispensation.“