Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said government is working out "arithmatic translation" of One Rank One Pension principle even as Rahul Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to announce a date to fulfil his election promise as agitating ex-servicemen were manhandled by police.
As ex-servicemen mounted pressure on the government for immediate rolling out of OROP on the eve of Independence Day, Jaitley said there was no issue at all in accepting the demand and that government was looking at several interpretations with regard to it.
"The government is completely committed to the OROP principle. It's only the arithmetical translation of that principle because several interpretations are being given which are being worked out and therefore with regard to the principle being accepted and implemented, I do not think there is any issue at all," he told reporters here.
Wading into OROP stir, the Congress Vice President joined the protesting ex-servicemen, hours after they were manhandled by police who evicted them from Jantar Mantar citing security concerns. Later, they were allowed to continue their protest.
At the protest venue, some of the agitating exservicemen raised slogans against Gandhi asking why he did not take it up in Parliament.
Indicating that some issues still need to thrashed out, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Dehradun that there are "technical difficulties" in implementing OROP. However, he insisted that government was committed to implement it.
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said an announcement on OROP may be made soon.
After the police action against the former defence personnel, who have been protesting for 62 days, Gandhi joined them and demanded a definite date from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement OROP.
Accusing the Prime Minister of not honouring his election promise, Gandhi said Modi should have thought of technicalities on OROP before giving any assuranceon it . He said Modi "makes promises very easily but fails to fulfil them."
As police action against the ex-servicemen evoked sharp criticism, the law enforcing agency, following direction from Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, backed off and allowed the agitators to continue their protest.
Terming the police action as "barbaric" and "undemocratic", the ex-servicemen wondered how can they be "security threat" when they had dedicated their lives protecting the country.
"How can you doubt our integrity? Or consider us a security threat? We served the country in protecting it and now we have become security threat," said a protesting army veteran.
