OROP politics peaks, leaders rush to ex-soldier’s funeral

A bevy of top Opposition leaders rushed to ex-soldier Ram Kishan Grewal’s Haryana village to attend his funeral, a day after he killed himself for uniform pensions for retired military personnel. The suicide sparked a full-blown political storm in Delhi over the controversial one-rank-one-pension (Orop) scheme.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and many other politicians descended on Bamla in Bhiwani district and attacked the Narendra Modi government “for failing to implement the retiral policy”. Sections of retired soldiers have been alleging that many of their concerns about disparity in pension payments have not been addressed.

Mr Gandhi, who was detained and released twice on Wednesday while trying to meet Grewal’s family in a Delhi hospital, was briefly detained again on Thursday evening from Jantar Mantar in central Delhi while leading a protest organised by his party. Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, “The Delhi police is behaving like a headless chicken, out to crush liberty and decency.” The police said the action was taken for Mr Gandhi’s security as the crowd at the popular protest site was swelling by the minute.

“The ex-soldier’s family was mistreated (on Wednesday). It may affect the morale of the Army. The police should at least apologise to the family,” Mr Gandhi told reporters. Mr Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia had also been briefly detained on Wednesday while trying to seek justice for the deceased’s family.

At Bamla, Mr Kejriwal announced Rs 1 crore to Subedar Grewal’s family, and a martyr’s status to him, prompting Haryana chief minister ML Khattar to remark that those who commit suicide are not martyrs. Mr Khattar announced Rs 10 lakh to the grieving family. Grewal is survived by his wife and five sons

Grewal died in a Delhi hospital on Wednesday, a day after he consumed poison.

Union minister and ex-Army chief VK Singh then Orop cannot be blamed for the death and Grewal’s mental condition should be probed. The police said it has started “inquest proceedings” into the death. On Thursday, Mr Singh said that the ex-soldier was a Congress agent, again igniting sharp reactions from the Opposition. Congress leader Raj Babbar said, “Singh’s mental condition needs to be examined. It’s shameful that such a person writes ‘General’ before his name.”

At Bamla, Mr Gandhi was joined by Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kiran Chaudhary, Kuldeep Bishnoi and others. Others political leaders, including Derek O’ Brien of the Trinamool, were also present during the cremation where Grewal’s son Kulwant said politics over his father’s death should end.

Mr Kejriwal said Grewal’s death would not be allowed to go in vain, and Orop would be snatched from the Centre. “Yes, I do politics..but my politics is to fight for the rights of defence personnel, while Modi ji’s is to snatch their entitlements,” he said.

In Delhi, Union minister Kiren Rijiju accused Mr Gandhi and Mr Kejriwal of indulging in vote bank politics, saying people are tired of their “dramas”.

The row has erupted days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent Diwali with soldiers to bolster the Centre’s pro-Army campaign following September’s anti-terror surgical strikes across the LoC.

The Centre approved the retiral policy — a major election issue in 2014 — last year and recently paid Rs 5,500 crore as its first installment, but sections of ex-servicemen say concerns remain.