NEW DELHI: The Congress targeted PM Modi saying the removal of protesting ex-servicemen from Delhi’s iconic Jantar Mantar reflected the priority he gives to their demand for one rank one pension.
Jantar Mantar, given its proximity to Indian parliament, has been the site for several protests over the past decades. According to the Congress spokesperson Tom Vaddakan the Modi government used Delhi police to forcibly evict peaceful ex-servicemen, war veterans and war widows from Jantar Mantar and even arrested them in the garb of implementing a National Green Tribunal order.
“The Modi Government which did nothing to fulfill the valid demands of ‘One Rank One Pension’ by the ex-servicemen is now resorting to use brute force against them,” said Vaddakan.
Taking a dig at PM Modi, the Congress leader said while the premier celebrated Diwali with Army men he committed gross injustice by denying them the benefit of OROP.
“For the past 870 days war veterans have been forced to protest to demand their pay parity,” he said.
The eviction of war veterans was anti-democratic and marked the style of functioning of the ruling BJP, the Congress claimed.
“Crushing dissent and silencing democracy is the hall mark of the BJP,” said Vadakkan.
“We hope the nation will analyse whether the noise pollution at Jantar Mantar was a bigger threat to environment than this government’s intolerance to democracy. We believe addressing environmental concerns cannot be in conflict with the fundamental tenets of the people’s democratic rights,” he added.