OROP row: Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi conspiring to demoralise soldiers, says Naqvi

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday urged both Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to stop indulging in "cheap politics" over the OROP issue.

"These are the people who have always drawn political mileage by questioning on sensitive and security related matters. The nation knows how to answer these people. If we look at sequence of events, they first questioned on surgical strikes, they then created useless noise over the SIMI encounter, now they have racked up OROP issue," Naqvi said.

"These all are a part of a well-knit conspiracy. It is an effort to demoralise our soldiers. I believe those who indulge in such cheap politics, the people will give a befitting reply to them. The nation doesn't function on the basis of such cheap politics," he added.

 

Ram Kishan Grewal, ex-servicemen, had come to the capital to protest against the government's alleged backtracking on the implementation of the OROP scheme.

The 69-year-old consumed poison even as he and four others accompanying him were waiting to meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to submit a memorandum reiterating their demands on the OROP scheme.

The death of Grewal triggered an intense political battle between the BJP, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who was detained and released thrice since the suicide of Grewal, charged the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with promoting a form of dictatorship.

Kejriwal on the other hand, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying to the entire nation about the implementation of OROP. He said instead of being sympathetic, the government told the police to beat Grewal's family.

A group of ex-servicemen say the OROP scheme which was implemented by the government last year, fails to meet key expectations of soldiers.

One Rank One Pension has been a longstanding demand of the ex-servicemen, grants retired armed forces personnel pension parity with officers and soldiers of the same rank who are retiring now.