Modi promised OROP but “betrayed” our trust: Major General(retd) Satbir Singh

Retired army official and chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement Major General Satbir Singh has accused the Modi government of “betraying” their trust and meting out ill treatment to Armymen.

The retired Army officer is spearheading a campaign against the Prime Minister’s claim that his Government implemented One Rank, One Pension for ex-servicemen.

While addressing a press conference at Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee on Monday, he said, “Modi does not deserve to be the PM of the Nation. We are not part of any political party/movement but we will tour the whole nation to draw attention of the people to the plight of the Armymen.”

During the conference, Singh maintained their movement was “apolitical” and they had requested the opposition party to raise their grievances in Parliament and also before the public.

The Modi government “insulted” ex-servicemen and their widows by arresting them and suppressing their protest using police, he alleged. “It has become a hallmark of the Modi government to suppress opposition voice. We would like to ask the BJP government at the Centre as to why it did not accept OROP in the form it was accepted by the then UPA government on February 17, 2014?” he asked.

Satbir Singh said that war veterans have been protesting for last 910 days but Modi government does not even want to talk to us. “We met new Defence Minister, Sitaraman but she said just one word - Will look into it,” said Satbir Singh.

He raised questions over the Modi government putting the condition in the scheme that it will review pensions after five years when experts sought a review after two years. “Why is injustice being meted out to the children of martyrs by limiting their education expenses at ₹10,000 per month?” Singh asked.

He was referring to a Centre’s notification dated September 13, 2017, capping education expenses for the kids of martyrs or those disabled in action at ₹10,000 a month. In November 2015, the Centre issued a notification, bringing into force the long-pending OROP scheme, which it said, will benefit over 2.5 million veterans and war widows.

“Our prime minister has two faces. Media projects him as a leader who loved his nation and offers sweets to army me but it is not his real face,” he concluded.

With inputs from PTI