Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar today wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind, demanding that gallantry and service medals returned by ex- servicemen as a mark of protest seeking One Rank One Pension (OROP) be given back to the retired personnel.
"As the Supreme Commander, I urge you, to initiate an honourable return of these medals to their rightful owners with due ceremony," Chandrasekhar said in the letter, according to a statement.
The Parliamentarian noted that many of the veterans, who had returned their medals, are at an advanced age of their lives and said it is only the right thing to hand back their medals so that kin of the retired personnel concerned may keep their legacy safe.
Elaborating why he wrote the letter, Chandrasekhar said medals are given by the country as a "recognition of the selfless service and tremendous sacrifices" of soldiers and their gallantry acts to protect the sovereignty of the nation.
"To a large extent, OROP had been made operational and so, it is fitting that these surrendered medals be returned," the independent MP said.
According to the statement, veterans/ex-servicemen had in 2009 returned 11,000 to 12,000 gallantry and/or service medals in protest against the then government's rejection of OROP.
These medals were returned to then President Pratibha Patil and since then have been in the custody of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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